


O Fortuna

by ko_chan



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Bisexual Chloe, F/M, Father Figure, Former Black Cat Gabriel Agreste, Gabriel Is Not Hawkmoth, Gabriel as mentor, Ladybug Alya Césaire, Mentor and student - Freeform, Peacock Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Peacock Miraculous, Peacock!Marinette, Psychological Trauma, marinette as peacock, peacock marinette, redemption arcs everywhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-07 20:45:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 44,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13443054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ko_chan/pseuds/ko_chan
Summary: Faced with failure, Marinette Dupain-Cheng surrendered the Ladybug Miraculous to one Alya Cesaire, and planned to live a normal life. However, one cannot run from destiny. Seeing the Cat Miraculous on his son’s finger, Gabriel decides to no longer stand by and realizes if Fu can choose warriors, so can he. Peacock Marinette. Mentor Gabriel





	1. Enter Jackady

**Author's Note:**

> Karin: here’s another miraculous story from me. It’s Canon divergence. Also, no Adrien and Alya ARE NOT a couple in this—Nino just assumes they are cause he doesn’t know they’re Chat Noir and Ladybug and that’s why they spend so much time together. There’s a little bit of Nino crushing on Marinette in the beginning but that won’t be long.  
> Title: O Fortuna  
> Rating: T  
> Pairing(s): Adrien/Marinette, Alya/Nino  
> Summary: Faced with failure, Marinette Dupain-Cheng surrendered the Ladybug Miraculous to one Alya Cesaire, and planned to live a normal life. However, one cannot run from destiny. Seeing the Cat Miraculous on his son’s finger, Gabriel decides to no longer stand by and realizes if Fu can choose warriors, so can he. Peacock Marinette. Mentor Gabriel

“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.”  
—Budda  
\---------------------------------------------  
Chapter One: Enter Jackady

For as long as she could remember, Marinette was always considered to be average. She did all right in school, she was polite and always respectful, and never caused any trouble. No one would expect this girl to be extraordinary. 

And she simply wasn’t. She had the chance, but she had given it away. Perhaps if Alya Cesaire hadn’t remembered to bring her bag with her that day Marinette slipped the Ladybug Miraculous into her bag, things might’ve been different. Marinette would’ve became something special. 

However, that’s not how things went, and Alya had gladly accepted the strange gift from an unknown stranger and taken the duty of being a hero off of her shoulders. Marinette was free from being in the spotlight and allowed to live a normal life—as it should be in her mind. 

But that wasn’t destiny. And destiny has a way of righting itself—whether Marinette likes it or not.  
It was simply meant to be.  
\-----------------------------------------  
Marinette furrowed her brow in concentration as she sat in her room, sketching out a recent design in her mind. Her hands were covered in pencil lead from all the smudging she was doing, but she didn’t seem to care. She was in her element. Creating designs was like composing a melody only she knew. The notes danced in her mind as she delicately sketched each stitch with love. 

“Marinette?” Sabine opened her trap door, curious. Seeing her child in her usual spot made Sabine smile. Marinette yelped and toppled off the bed, startled by the sudden intrusion. Sabine giggled and approached her daughter, who was collecting the fallen papers quickly, shy about people seeing her work. Sabine kneeled down to the floor and stroke some of Marinette’s hair out of her face. 

“You’re always up here sketching.” Sabine said fondly. “Why don’t you ever hang out with friends, sweetie?” she questioned. Marinette blushed, and looked to the floor, clutching her sketches protectively to her chest. 

“I don’t really have any friends, Maman.” Marinette responded, a bit shy. Sabine raised an eyebrow. 

“No friends? You seemed to get along well with that Alya girl—what happened to that?” the question made Marinette flinch. Memories of giving away a small red and black god to another surfaced in her mind. The failure of being a hero. The desire to be normal making her distance herself to a confused Alya. She passed the torch—that’s all she was meant to do. To be friends with the girl who was secretly Ladybug seemed too dangerous to her normalcy. To her guilt and failure that she didn’t want to remember. Every time she saw how tired Alya was, she couldn’t help but feel even more guilty. 

Every bruise, every scratch—all she could remember was how it should’ve been her. 

No, she couldn’t be friends with Alya. No matter how much the other girl wants her to. 

“She found other friends.” Marinette mumbled. It was true. She became really close with Adrien soon after she received the Ladybug Miraculous from Marinette. It had killed any self-confidence she had in hoping Adrien would like her back one day, and she had taken down all the photos of him in her room, deciding to move on and just go to school to learn. 

Sabine frowned and hugged her child. She knew Marinette was painfully shy so it was extremely hard for her to make friends. She was hoping when Marinette came home talking about a girl she met in class she got along with it would develop into a strong friendship, but it seems now it was unlikely. 

“Maman, don’t worry.” Marinette pulled away, smiling in reassurance. “I’m happy by myself. It gives me more time to work on my designs.” she gestured to all the designs hung up around her room, along with the many fabrics laid on her desk and a dress form in the corner. 

“I know, sweetie.” Her mother kissed her forehead. She walked towards the computer desk with all her fabrics cluttered on the surface and began to organize them for Marinette. Her eyes caught sight of a piece of paper on the desk with writing on it, not her daughter’s scrawl, and curiously picked it up. “What’s this?” 

“Huh? Oh, that’s just an address for the studio Nino is going to be performing at for some contest. Alya gave it to me in case I thought I’d want to go…” Marinette trailed off, not wanting to think about how she was being unfair to Alya by constantly refusing her friendship with excuses. 

Sabine furrowed her brow in confusion. If the girl was giving her this, then maybe she still wanted friendship with Marinette after all? Perhaps her daughter just didn’t know how to respond to someone who wants to be friends with her and that’s why she never goes out. 

“Well, you did all your chores today, so why don’t you go?” Sabine encouraged. Marinette turned to her, eyes wide. 

“What?” she blinked. “Why would I do that Maman? I am not close with any of them. It would feel too weird.” Marinette explained. Sabine quirked an eyebrow at that. She knew her daughter was shy, but did she really despised social interaction that much? 

Absently stroking her daughter’s fabrics, a light bulb went off in her head as an idea formed. Sabine schooled her face into a teasing, coy expression. 

“You know Marinette…” she began, still petting the fabrics. “Your father and I noticed you are running low on fabric. How would you feel if we pick up some tomorrow?” this caused Marinette’s ears to perk up. 

“Really Maman?” Marinette asked excited. “Usually you make me save up for fabric—are you sure?” Marinette checked. Sabine chuckled. 

“Of course! We love to spoil you sometimes.” Sabine said, picking up the piece of paper once more. “If,” she stressed, holding up the piece of paper to her daughter’s face, “You go out and have fun with friends today.” She smirked. 

Marinette’s eyes widened before her eyes became narrowed. 

“Maman! You cheat.” she pouted. Sabine just smiled, waving the paper innocently. Marinette prepared to decline the bribe, but the thought of getting new fabric without paying for it was very tempting. In fact, she could actually get a good quality fabric out of this for her new project. 

‘I’ll just keep interactions to a minimum.’ Marinette told herself. She grinned at her mother and took the paper. Her mother smiled back. 

“You’re all right walking by yourself?” Her mother asked her. Marinette nodded as she slipped on a white over sweater robe that reached her mid thigh and the sleeves reached past her elbow over her cherry blossom pink tank top. She wore black leggings and put on black three inch heeled combat boots good for walking. 

“It will be fine, Maman.” She told her mother. She grabbed her purse and headed towards her trap door, waving goodbye to her mother. 

Besides, how bad could it be?  
\--------------------------------  
Nino cracked his knuckles nervously as he waited his turn to be called on The Challenge. Adrien and the Gorilla were beside him with support as Alya had a babysitting job today. Adrien patted his shoulder in comfort. 

“Relax man—I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Adrien said. Nino fidgeted with his hands.

“Hopefully dude. Hopefully.” He replied

“Oh come on, you got me here for support.” Adrien took ahold of Nino’s shoulders. “You’ll be fine. You’re an awesome DJ.”  
Nino was about to reply when a girl with midnight hair pulled in pigtails showed up gasping for breath, her hands on her knees. 

“Sorry I’m late!” she apologized. She looked up with her bright blue eyes and Nino and Adrien saw it was Marinette Dupain-Cheng from their class. The girl was always a loner, so to see her here was a surprise to both boys. She looked around nervously, as if she was forgetting something. “W-where’s Alya?” she asked. 

“Uh… babysitting duty.” Nino answered, placing his hand behind his head. Marinette looked like she entered panic mood. Her eyes immediately went downcast. 

“Um… sorry… Alya invited me…” she mumbled out. She wrung her hands together nervously, and surprisingly, it calmed Nino down to see someone as nervous as him and he wasn’t alone. Pushing his anxiety aside, he went to reassure the girl. 

“It’s okay, dude. I don’t mind you being here.” He told her. Marinette perked her head up a little, still looking like she felt out of place. “Honest! If I knew you were coming I would’ve dressed better—I mean! Uh…” Nino stuttered. He remembered the crush he had on Marinette, but for some reason when Adrien, Alya, and him tried to invite her to the zoo (Nino was hoping it could be a double date, despite Alya and Adrien’s denials that they weren’t a couple, but come on, they were really close!), but she turned them down, squeaking and running away hurriedly. 

Surprisingly, Marinette seemed to smile, though a little unsure, and it made Nino’s heart beat a little faster. 

“You look fine to me.” She said quietly. Nino and Adrien grinned at her, ready to welcome her into their group. 

“Nino! You’re up!” the announcer called. Nino grinned at them and waved before going onto the set to perform his challenge. Adrien stepped closer to Marinette, hoping he didn’t intrude on her space. 

“Glad you were able to make it.” He said. Marinette jumped a little as she wasn’t expecting him to talk to her. Her heart began to pound and her palms got a little sweaty. 

“U-um yeah. Alya invited me and I thought why not and here I am…” Marinette replied, not looking at him. Her anxiety was heightened with being around so many people she didn’t really know. She hadn’t spoken to him one on one since he asked her about what she thought about Chat Noir after the Evillustrator incident. 

“That’s awesome. It’s always good to see you, Marinette.” Adrien said genuinely. He wished he could get the girl to open up to them more as she always seemed so quiet and shy. Alya had told him many times on late night patrols as Ladybug and Chat Noir on how she thought it was so cute that Marinette was so shy, but she wished she could help her with her confidence more. Every time Chloe picks on her, Alya is always there to defend her, but despite all of the attention, Marinette just seems to shrink away from their group. Adrien wondered if maybe she didn’t like them, but he reasoned that 

Marinette was always nice to them, even if avoidant at times. He asked Plagg about it but he just said humans are weird and asked for cheese. 

Maybe with this, she can get closer to them and they all can be good friends. He knows what it’s like not to have friends for so long, and he didn’t want another person to suffer like he did. 

He thought on how much his life has changed since he had gotten the Black Cat Miraculous. He got to go to public school, he made many new friends in his classmates, and had gotten really close friends like Alya and Nino. Having found out that Alya had somehow gotten the Ladybug Miraculous had caused the two to have to get to know each other very well (to the point where people assume they are dating, but they have to keep telling people they’re strictly platonic). However, he remembers freaking out at first from her appearance, as he had worried what had happened to his previous partner. Alya, on the other hand, had no clue what he was talking about and said the earrings just appeared in her bag one day. He was filled with disappointment, wondering if he did something wrong to make the previous Ladybug quit, but Tikki had reassured him it wasn’t because of him, and instead said she had her reasons. Unfortunately, that was all she decided to tell him, filling him with even more sadness that he doesn’t know the girl’s identity. He wonders if the previous Ladybug ever thinks of him like he does her. Tikki said it was best not to dwell on the previous Ladybug but he couldn’t help himself. 

“Thank you.” Marinette said, blushing and looking at the floor. 

“Congrats Nino! You won! We’ll see you next week to perform your next challenge!” the announcer yelled, drawing Marinette and Adrien’s attention. Both of them clapped for Nino as he grinned at them from the stage. He raced off the stage to fist bump Adrien. 

“Told you you could do it.” Adrien told him smugly. Nino rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah. You were right.” 

“Up next is Jacques Grimault!” the announcer called. A man in a purple suit jacket stepped forward. The announcer put his arm around the Jacques. “He’s a hypnotist! He can make you do anything he wants!”

“Er, actually, I don’t like using hypnotism that way.” Jacques responded meekly, taking out some playing cards. The announcer ignored him. 

“So Jacques! Your task is to bring a very elusive celebrity to this set! Everyone welcome fashion genius Gabriel Agreste!” 

Suddenly the screen showed Gabriel Agreste’s stern face. Nino looped an arm around Adrien in excitement. 

“Dude! That’s your dad.” He exclaimed. Adrien smiled. 

“What is this show? I was told this was an interview.” Gabriel said, not too pleased with being fooled. 

“Now, Mr. Grimault! See if you can get Gabriel Agreste to come to the show with your hypnotism!” 

“I told you, I don’t use hypnotism that way.” Jacques repeated. 

“Aw, I guess you’re a shy hypnotist! Isn’t that funny Mr. Agreste?” the announcer smiled to the camera. 

“Hilarious.” Gabriel deadpanned. “Your show is pathetic, and so is your contestant. Control me? Never.” With that, Gabriel signed off. Adrien shook his head. 

“That’s my father, alright.” He said gloomily. 

“Well, looks like you failed in bringing Mr. Agreste here, Mr. Grimault!” the announcer cheerfully stated. “You fail!”

“W-wait! But I didn’t even get a chance!” he stuttered out. 

With that, the staff took him off the stage and escorted him to the door. Jacques looked downcast at the floor as he dropped his cards. He bent down to pick them up, not noticing the black butterfly flying into one of his playing cards. 

“Hello Jackady. I am Hawkmoth…”  
\-----------------------------  
Marinette looked worriedly at the door where Jacques left. She bit her lip, debating whether or not to pursue the man. She knew what it was like to fail in unfair circumstances. She remembered how strict Adrien’s dad can be, and the fact that he didn’t even get Adrien a present for his birthday instead using her scarf she made as a present instead made her not really think highly of him. 

“Are you okay?” Adrien asked her, noticing her somber mood. Marinette turned towards him with a frown. 

“It’s just… he must’ve worked so hard to get on the show…” she trailed off. Adrien put a hand on her shoulder making her jump. He gave her a look of understanding. 

Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the doors to the studio bursting open and a man wearing a purple and lime green suit walked in with a psychotic grin. 

“What in the world?” The announcer asked. The masked man grinned and threw a card at him saying he was now a chicken. 

Adrien’s bodyguard rose to action and charged forward. 

“Simon says you’re a gorilla!” the akuma called. The card got absorbed into the Gorilla and suddenly he changed directions towards the three teenagers and made gorilla noises. Adrien, Nino, and Marinette yelped as Nino and Adrien ran in opposite directions, Adrien instinctively grabbing Marinette to follow him. The two ended up toppled in the corner. 

“You okay?” Adrien asked her. Marinette rubbed her head and nodded. Adrien lead her to a safe corner and made her hide. “You stay here—I’m going to get Nino and we’ll all get out of here.” With that, he was already gone before Marinette could say anything. Marinette pressed her back into the crevice, praying that Adrien and Nino come back soon. 

She knew she shouldn’t have gone out today….


	2. Knight In Shining Armor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to heat up as Jackady begins running amuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys--I just wanted to let you guys know that yes, this is Karin Ochibi-chan and yes, this is my story from fanfiction.net. I'm uploading the chapters here as well. Does anyone know how to do italics in AO3? I copy and paste my chapters and for some reason it doesn't keep the italics on stuff.

\-----------------------------------------------------  
“I see what's happening here  
You're face to face with greatness, and it's strange  
You don't even know how you feel  
It's adorable!  
Well, it's nice to see that humans never change  
Open your eyes, let's begin  
Yes, it's really me, it's Maui: breathe it in!  
I know it's a lot: the hair, the bod!  
When you're staring at a demi-god”  
—Dwayne Johnson “You’re Welcome”, Moana  
\---------------------------------------  
Chapter Two: Knight in Shining Armor  
Alya sighed tiredly as she settled her sisters in for a nap. She rubbed her temples at finally having some peace and quiet. Ever since becoming Ladybug, she hasn’t had much of that these days. Not that she minds—being a secret superhero was always a childhood dream of hers—and now she’s living it!

Still, in the quiet time, she couldn’t help but think who was the previous Ladybug was, and why she had given up her duty to be a superhero. She knew it was tiring and took a lot of work, but was that why she gave it away? Tikki had dismissed her questions with sadness, saying it would do no good to know about the previous holder of her Miraculous. 

But she couldn’t help it. That girl, the previous Ladybug, was the one who was meant to be Ladybug. The one who was chosen to be Ladybug. Alya was just a replacement. The silver medal. To say it didn’t bother her, didn’t push her to her limits out in field, was ludicrous. That girl was the chosen one—Alya was just a poor imitation. 

Tikki tried to tell her that just because she wasn’t chosen at first didn’t mean she wasn’t a good Ladybug, but that didn’t help quell the elephant in the room. 

If the previous Ladybug hadn’t given up her Miraculous, Tikki would’ve been never given to her. 

Imagining her life as not being Ladybug, it caused her to grimace. She had made a wonderful friend in her partner Adrien. She had learned what it’s like to really protect and cherish those in her city. She could finally be a hero like in her dreams. 

What if the previous Ladybug decides to come back? What if she wants the Miraculous back? 

Then Alya would no longer be a hero. She wouldn’t be important anymore. 

She would just be the silver medal. 

“Alya!” Tikki fretted. “Look at the tv!” she cried. Alya’s eyes widened when she caught sight of the show that Nino was supposed to be on, and the host was acting like a chicken and the man she recognized as Adrien’s body guard was hopping around like an actual gorilla. 

“Oh no! Tikki we have to go!” she started to race towards the door, but skidded to a stop, slapping her facehead. “Ugh! I’m babysitting! What do I do?” 

“We can’t worry about that right now! Your sisters are asleep so we can leave them for a bit. You need to go transform!” Tikki exclaimed. Alya nodded. 

“Right! Tikki—spots on!”   
\--------------------------------------------

“Gabriel Agreste turned down my challenge! But no matter! He will be entertaining us tonight at midnight in this very tv studio! Gabriel—I’m coming for you!” Jackady sang. 

Chat Noir landed on one of the beams, brow furrowed in worry. 

“Father?” he whispered. 

He looked around the room, spying Nino hiding behind some equipment. He placed a finger at his lips to signal quiet. Nino nodded, sinking lower in his hiding spot. With Jackady distracted, that’s when 

Chat Noir pounced. He landed on top of Jackady with a grin. 

“Chat Noir says gimme those cards!” Chat demanded. Jackady smirked and let his cards fly. Chat gasped. 

Meanwhile, Marinette peaked out from her hiding spot to see Chat Noir wrestle with the akuma. Her blue eyes widened as he threw his cards all over the floor. The akuma must be in his cards. If she can get them, then Adrien’s dad won’t be hurt, and Adrien won’t be without his father. 

‘Where did this sudden braveness come from?’ a voice mocked in her head. She shook her head and formed a determined expression. Taking a deep breath, she pushed against the wall to give her momentum and raced towards the fallen cards before Chat could get off of Jackady. 

“What?” Jackady shouted as they saw her come closer. Chat’s eyes also widened in fear that Marinette could be hurt. He jumped off of Jackady to grab her and run. 

“Marinette! Go back to hiding!” Chat yelled, forgetting about letting Jackady free. Jackady smirked as he was now free, and summoned another card. 

“How cute! My gorilla will be sure to take care of you two lovebirds!” he tossed another card towards the Gorilla and he began to give chase towards them. Chat grabbed Marinette around the waist and jumped for the spotlight beams. 

“You stay here, okay?” he said, jumping off the beams as Marinette gripped the beam tightly, anxiety forming in her chest. The possessed Gorilla chased after him into the hallway. 

“Marinette!” Nino called, racing out of his hiding place. He looked up at her in panic. “Are you okay?” 

Marinette gulped at how high she was and nodded timidly. What kind of superhero left a person in a high place like this?! 

Suddenly the doors burst open to reveal Ladybug swinging her yoyo. Seeing there was no one here, she looked confused, but then focused on Nino and Marinette. Marinette sank even further into her shell once she recognized Alya was there to save them. 

‘I hope she was able to get out of babysitting okay…’ 

“Marin—um! Hello there! What are you doing up there?” Alya—Ladybug Marinette reminded herself—called up to her, obviously not wanting to give away that she knows Marinette to be one of her classmates. Marinette blushed. 

“Er… your partner put me up here.” She answered meekly, embarrassed. Ladybug’s eyes widened. 

“Chat? Why would he do that? Grr don’t worry I’ll get you down and we can yell at him together!” Ladybug called, swinging her yoyo, and bringing herself up on the beam. Ladybug smiled kindly at her, and it was hard for Marinette not to see Alya through the mask, and held out her arms for Marinette to take a hold of her. Marinette crawled over to her and the two lowered safely to the ground. 

“There you go.” Alya patted Marinette’s head. Marinette blushed from the attention. “Now let’s go find that mangy cat.” With that, the three of them went into the hallway to find Chat Noir having defeated the Gorilla. He readied another battle stance, but having seen it was only his partner and two civilians, he relaxed. 

“Sorry. Thought you were Jackady.” 

“Chat! I have a bone to pick with you.” Ladybug scowled and grabbed him by the bell. Chat yelped at being manhandled by her. “Why did you leave a defenseless person up on a highbeam?” she scolded. 

“Err sorry. Wasn’t thinking.” His luminescent eyes turned to see Marinette. He approached her silently, making Marinette nervous. Was he going to yell at her for stepping in?

“I’m sorry, Princess.” he apologized. Marinette’s eyes widened at the nickname he bestowed upon her before when helping out with the Evillustrator. His clawed hand reached for hers and raised it to his lips. “Forgive me?” 

Marinette blinked, not sure how to react with the attention, especially when Nino and Alya were right there as witnesses. Chat Noir grinned. 

“After all, I can’t blame you for wanting to be near the great Chat Noir! I have that effect on people.” He winked. Marinette’s expression became deadpan. She snatched her hand back and bonked him on the head. “Me-ouch!” 

“You deserved that one.” Ladybug chimed in, smirking. Chat Noir rubbed his head. 

“You’re always so mean to me, LB.” he whined. “Anyway, we should probably go catch Jackady.”

“Dude, he has a whole army now!” Nino exclaimed. Chat Noir grew serious. 

“He’s after Gabriel Agreste. We gotta get back to the mansion now.” He said. Suddenly, a beeping sound went off. 

“You’re going to change back.” Ladybug said worriedly. “We’ll have to meet up at the Agreste mansion.” 

“You’re right. I’ll meet you there.” Chat Noir called, disappearing around the corner. 

“Wait! What about Adrien? He’s still around here!” Nino reminded Ladybug. 

“Ah right!” Ladybug said a little too quickly. “Let’s see if he’s around here.”


	3. Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gabriel finds out information he's not ready to accept and Marinette proves herself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karin: Here’s another chapter from me—longer than the last (yay) so hopefully you guys like it. Also, if anyone was wondering why Marinette is nor more headstrong in this is because she has a lot of confidence and anxiety issues still because the Ladybug miraculous didn’t help her fix those issues since she gave it up.   
> Credit goes to Lokilust for helping me coming up with Marinette’s weapon in this chapter.   
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Miraculous Ladybug

_“I am the one thing in life I can control_  
I am inimitable   
I am an original  
I’m not falling behind or running late  
I’m not standing still  
I am lying in wait.”

—Leslie Odom Jr. “Wait for it”, _Hamilton_

\---------------------------------------------

Chapter Three: Realizations

Chat Noir raced down the steps of the studio and reached the bottom, releasing his transformation. Plagg flew up beside him.

“Nice performance back there, Lover boy.” Plagg deadpanned. Adrien rolled his eyes at the kwami.

“Plagg, now’s not the time. We gotta meet with Alya, Nino, and Marinette and go back to my place to help my father.” Adrien dismissed his kwami’s teasings and allowed Plagg to hide in his overshirt. Then he ran to go join his friends.

He met up with them on a glass bridge in the studio. Nino and Marinette gave sighs of relief when they caught sight of him.

“Nino! Marinette!” Adrien gave a cry of happiness. Nino grinned and hugged his friend, glad he was safe. Marinette couldn’t help but twiddle her thumbs, unsure on how to greet him after he put her in a safe place and she had moved to help Chat Noir. Adrien caught sight of her and approached her. “Are you okay, Marinette? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“I’m fine.” She replied. Adrien gave a sigh of relief. “How are you?”

“I’m okay.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Ah! But we gotta get back to my house now!”

“Then let’s go!” Ladybug said, and the four raced to the Agreste Mansion.

\-----------------------------------------

“Nathalie! Where’s my father? He’s in danger!” Adrien shouted once they burst through the doors of his massive home. Nathalie walked up to greet them and inform them of the situation.

“He knows already.” She reassured Adrien. Gabriel appeared, standing at the top of the staircase. Marinette couldn’t help but grimace at how imposing he looked.

“Good evening, Ladybug.” Gabriel greeted formally. Adrien turned to reason with his father.

“Father! You have to hide! Jackady is coming straight here for you!”

“And be dictated by a madman? Certainly not.” Gabriel brushed off his son’s concern. This made Adrien only panic more.

“But father! He’s dangerous—who’s knows what he’ll do!” Adrien implored him. Gabriel turned his cold stare to his son.

“Head up to your room now. You had enough excitement for today. Nathalie, make sure they stay there.” He commanded his assistant. Nathalie gestured for Nino, Adrien, and Marinette to follow her, but Marinette backed away.

“Um… I think I should head home.” She spoke out, a hand clenched at her chest. “I’m worried about my parents and I don’t want them getting turned into zombies.” She explained, feeling very out of place with Nino and Adrien, along with Alya and Adrien’s father. Adrien’s father nodded, dismissing her. She nodded gratefully and ran out the doors.

“I apologize for my son, Ladybug.” Gabriel said to Ladybug. “He’s like his mother—far too overly dramatic.”

“But he’s right, you know.” Ladybug crossed her arms and defended Adrien. “Jackady is a real threat. You are in a lot of danger.”

Gabriel couldn’t help but give a fond smile, memories of a blonde girl pleading to him the same thing.

“What would I have to worry about with you here to protect me?” he placed a hand on her shoulder.

\----------------------------------

“Woah! Nice place!” Nino whistled as they were led into Adrien’s room. “I’ve seen stadiums smaller than your room.”

“Make yourself at home. I’m going to take a shower.” Adrien causally said. Nino simply stared at him in confusion.

“Now?”

“What can I say? It’s the model in me.” Adrien grinned, shutting the door. He opened his shirt allowing Plagg to fly out.

“Why doesn’t my father ever listen to me?” the blonde growled.

“Plagg! Claws out!”

\-----------------------------------------

Marinette exited the doors, intent on running home.

 _‘That’s right. Run home, little coward.’_ The voice in her head sneered. _‘Leave Alya and Chat Noir to handle it and always get hurt. It’s not your problem.’_

Marinette shook her head, trying to quell the guilt. She chose this life. She chose not to get involved with all of this akuma business the moment she gave Tikki up to Alya. She couldn’t do this anymore to herself. She was not meant to be a hero—look how well that turned out the first time she was Ladybug!

No, she couldn’t do this.

She almost was at the gate when she heard noises coming close to the entrance. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Jackady’s soldiers coming close to the Agreste Mansion. She looked in between the gate and the mansion a couple of times, in conflict with herself.

 _‘But what if I can’t help?’_ she asks herself. _‘What if I just get in the way again?’_

The groaning of the soldiers grew louder and Marinette bit her lip, and then took off in the direction to the mansion’s doors.

Chat Noir’s eyes widened when he saw that Marinette had chosen to go back into his house. However, his attention focused soon on Jackady’s soldiers. Dread flooded in his system.

“Oh no…”

\----------------------------------------

Alya wanted to bang her head against a wall. She was going to throw stinky camembert at Adrien for every picture his father shown her of him. Plagg would find her predicament hilarious.

 _‘Well then I’ll just have to make Adrien choke down the cheese while I’m at it so Plagg can’t get any. There! Double torture.’_ Alya grinned in her mind.

Suddenly, Chat Noir burst in from the window, shouting.

“Close off all exits! They’re coming! Get the self-defense system working! We need total lockdown!” he ordered. Gabriel silently began keying in codes to get the defense system up and running.

“How did you know about the defense system?” Gabriel asked, suspicious. The only ones that know about the house defense system are Adrien, Nathalie, and himself. Chat Noir jumped.

“Oh! Well—in a house like this there’s no way you wouldn’t have one, am I right?” he covered up his mistake.

“Well they won’t be getting in now. This house is built like a fortress.” Gabriel said assuredly. Nonetheless, the alarms went off indicating the soldiers got in. Alya gasped. Nino was all alone. She had to go save him!

“I need to get to Nino!” Alya told them. Gabriel nodded.

“Nathalie, take one of the remotes and take Ladybug with you.” Nathalie nodded. Her and Ladybug exited the room. Chat Noir ran to get the other remote.

“You need to get to the atrium as soon as possible! They’re coming!” the order made Gabriel frown.

“No one tells me what to do. Not even a superhero.” He scolded the teen. After all he’s been through over the years and now being ordered around by a teen? Pathetic.

“You’re in danger just like everyone else here! So stop pretending you’re above us all and do what I tell you to!” Chat Noir pointed at him. Gabriel’s eyes widened in shock that he was actually being yelled at by a teenager. A sense of déjà vu hit him, as if he was here before with someone else who said the same thing. Gabriel couldn’t help but smirk.

“Quite a temper.” he praised. “You remind me of someone.” he said fondly, rubbing his chin. Chat Noir just glared and headed out the door, leaving Gabriel alone with memories of a fiery blonde haired woman.

\-----------------------------------------------

Marinette made a face as she turned on the light bulb in the coat closet. She raced to the nearest hiding place she could once the soldiers and Jackady entered the house.

“Some hero I am.” Marinette grumbled. She began looking around for anything to fight with. “There’s gotta be something in here I can work with.” She dug around in some of the coat pockets, desperate for anything by this point.

“Ah-hah!” Marinette exclaimed, pulling out rubber bands. This caused her to frown. “Really?” she looked at the ceiling, exasperated. Her eyes then focused on the door, a determined glint in them. Her hand clenched the rubber bands.

“They’ll have to do.”

\----------------------------------------------

Ladybug and Nathalie entered Adrien’s room. Nino approached them.

“Ladybug! What’s happening?”

“Jackady and his forces are here. We need to get you to a safe place.” Ladybug told Nino, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“What about Adrien?” Nino asked. Alya wanted to facepalm inside her mind. Of course! She still had to pretend Adrien was here.

“Where is he?” she questioned. Nino pointed to the bathroom.

“Taking a shower.” He answered. This made her raise an eyebrow.

“A shower?” that’s the best he could come up with?

“It’s the model in him.” Nino replied nonchalantly, shrugging. Alya shook her head.

“I’ll get him then. You go on ahead.” She said. Nino and Nathalie left and she ran up to the bathroom door.

“Chat?” she knocked. Chat Noir flopped through the door and Ladybug stared down at him with an amused expression. Chat stuck his tongue out at her.

“God, I can’t wait until you get a girlfriend to embarrass you with that lazy excuse.” Alya grinned. Adrien glared at her.

“You try coming up with an excuse on the spot like that.” Chat Noir retorted as he got up and brushed himself off.

Soldiers burst into the room, and the partners readied their weapons.

\--------------------------

Nino and Nathalie met Gabriel in the atrium. His ice blue eyes narrowed as he noticed the most important person missing.

“Where is my son?” he demanded. Worry began to bubble in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t lose Adrien. He was ready to charge out of the atrium and go retrieve him himself.

“He’s coming.” Nino assured him. However, before Gabriel could take action, Jackady’s soldiers ran in through the door and advanced toward Gabriel. Gabriel readied a stance, ready to fight, but he wasn’t as young as he used to be, and definitely out of practice.

The soldiers advanced, and Gabriel tried to fight them off, but there was too many of them and he was captured. Jackady grinned as he entered the room, walking towards Gabriel with glee.

A rubber band struck the back of his head harshly, making him yell. He whipped his head around to see who dared to attack him.

There stood Marinette, another rubber band at the ready to shoot. She glared at Jackady with righteous anger.

“Release Mr. Agreste.” She demanded. She shot the rubber band at one of his minions. The soldier yelped as they let go of Gabriel. Jackady glared, readying his cards.

“I don’t think so! Simon says you’ll be a mouse!” he flung a card at her, but she dodged, shooting another rubber band at his hand, making him yowl in pain and drop his cards. She quickly shot another rubber band at his eye. “Ouch! You brat!”

“Nino! The cards!” Marinette shouted as she dodged a swipe from Jackady, who was so angry that he was trying to strangle her. She continued to shoot rubber bands at him. Without his cards, Jackady wasn’t able to give commands. Nino looked to the floor and began ripping up cards. Gabriel freed himsefl out of Jackady’s minions’ hold and ran to the cards. He ripped the final one and the akuma flew out.

“No! That can’t be!” Jackady cried. Marinette grinned and trapped the akuma in a jar. Jackady’s shoulder was tapped, and he turned to find Gabriel Agreste’s fist.

“Dude!” Nino shouted shocked. Who knew Adrien’s old man had it in him?

“That’s enough of that.” Adrien’s father said, dusting his hand off on his suit jacket. He turned his attention to the black haired girl. “I’ve seen you before…”

“Um yes sir.” Marinette spoke nervously. “I won your hat competition.” She clarified.

“Ah yes, Mlle. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Gabriel remembered now. Her craftsmanship was extraordinary. He knew she was going to go far with her talents. “It appears that I owe you a thank you.” he smiled at her. Marinette smiled at him shyly.

“It’s no problem, sir.” She said. Inside, she felt the guilt inside her shrink.

 _‘I did something right for once.’_ She thought happily.

Ladybug and Chat Noir burst through the window, battle ready. Nonetheless, they noticed all the soldiers frozen and Jackady unconscious.

“What happened?” Ladybug asked. Nino looped an arm around Marinette’s shoulder and brought her forward.

“Dudes, you should’ve seen it! She shot Jackady with rubber bands! It was so awesome!” Nino praised. Marinette blushed bashfully.

“It wasn’t that special….” She said. Nino shook his head.

“No way! I’m telling you—she could give you guys a run for your money!” Nino told Chat Noir and Ladybug. Ladybug grinned, getting in Marinette’s face.

“Another superhero huh? I would love another girl around. It gets boring with just the mangy cat here.” Ladybug said to Marinette and jabbing a thumb at the cat superhero.

“Hey! I resent that, LB.” Chat Noir commented. He approached Marinette and kneeled in front of her, taking her hand. “Although, if you want to submit a resume for being a hero, I’d be glad to accept, Princess.” he told her, but before he could kiss her hand, Marinette snatched her hand back, waving both of them in front of her frantically.

“Oh no! I can’t be a hero! Nope! Not me!” Marinette venomously denied, feeling the conversation drifting into unfamiliar waters. She sweated, alarm bells going off in her head.

 _‘Please don’t let them figure out I was Ladybug!’_ she begged. If they knew, they would all be disappointed in her for surrendering her duty as a hero to live a normal life. Alya would hate her for giving her the burden of being Ladybug. The guilt began piling up fast, making her throat close up.

“I believe they are right, Mademoiselle.” Gabriel said. He walked closer to them. “Without you here, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me.”

She rotated her head to look at each of them, wringing her hands. She took steps back towards the door.

“Oh well would you look at the time? Maman and Papa will be worried! Gotta go bye!” she opened the door and ran out, slamming it behind her.

All of the remaining occupants blinked, unsure of what just happened. Gabriel turned back to the two heroes and handed Chat Noir the jar with the akuma inside. When he held out his hand to receive the jar, Gabriel caught sight of the Black Cat Miraculous. Its shining paw print making an imprint in his mind.

“Thanks a lot, Mr. Agreste!” Chat Noir said. Ladybug and Chat Noir went to the window and bid farewell.

\------------------------------

Gabriel sighed as he entered his son’s room, finding Adrien looking out his window. Adrien turned to see his father, with a questioning expression.

However, his emerald eyes widened when he felt Gabriel embrace him. Finally, he relaxed into his father’s hold and smiled. Gabriel smiled as well, slowly opening his eyes, but his eyes locked onto a certain piece of jewelry he’s seen somewhere before…

“Where did you get this?” he demanded, separating from Adrien. The blonde crossed his arms and grew defensive.

“Nowhere. Just some jewelry store near school.” Adrien replied.

“I… see.” Gabriel said slowly, realization hitting him. The shock assaulting him all over making him feel ill. He excused himself and retreated to his office. He went to the attached bathroom and threw cold water on his face. He gasped, looking himself in the mirror, taking in his features.

 _‘There’s no way… it can’t be.’_ But it was staring at him in the face. The heavy realization that his son possessed a Miraculous was mocking him. He’d recognize that ring anywhere.

He used to wear it.

\--------------------------------

Marinette sat on her balcony in an oversized pink hoodie and pajama pants with chibi hamsters on them. She felt cozy in her red panda slippers and her hands were wrapped around a hot, steaming cup of coco. A serene smile rested on her face as she observed the city from her spot on her balcony.

“Hello, Princess.” Chat Noir greeted her, landing on her balcony with grace. Marinette gave a yelp and nearly dropped her cup of hot chocolate. Her eyes narrowed at the sudden appearance of one of Paris’ superheroes.

 _‘At least it’s not Alya—that would’ve been awkward.’_ Marinette thought.

“Um, hello, Chat Noir.” Marinette greeted, unsure on how to proceed with this alien encounter. “What is it? Is there an akuma?” Marinette looked around, having enough with those things for the day.

“No, no!” Chat Noir assured her, waving his hands. He placed one of the gloved hands behind his head, smiling sheepishly. “No akuma! Just… wanted to talk! Yeah!”

“Talk?” her bright blue eyes blinked amongst the darkness, reminding Chat Noir of a cloudless sky on a sunny day.

“Yeah! Talk.” Chat repeated. They stood there staring awkwardly at each other, each confused on how to proceed.

“So…. Talk about what?” she asked finally. Chat jumped, clearly not having planned this out.

“Oh well—just wanted to thank you for today.” He replied. He placed his hands on his hips, trying to look macho. “Ladybug and I couldn’t have done it without you today, and you saved Gabriel Agreste—which is very important to Adrien Agreste—and just gotta say that it was very cool on how you defeated Jackady.” he explained in a rush. The raven haired girl nodded.

“So you came all this way to tell me that?” she asked. Chat nodded. Marinette couldn’t help but let out a laugh at him. “You didn’t need to do that, Chat Noir. I didn’t really do much, and anyone would’ve done the same.”

Chat Noir shook his head, his messy blonde locks flying about.

“No. There’s a lot of people that wouldn’t have.” He told her seriously. Marinette blushed, averting her eyes as she dug a spot into the pavement with her slipper. Chat cleared his throat.

“Anyway, so you sure you wouldn’t want to be a hero?” he asked her teasingly. Marinette rolled her eyes.

“I’m good, Chat Noir.” She told the superhero. “I’ll keep my civilian life, thanks.” She clutched her mug tighter.

 _‘Coward.’_ The voice in her mind hissed.

“Such a shame.” He grinned at her. “Oh well! I guess I can settle for saving you all the time—a knight must always protect his princess after all!” he teased her. Marinette glared at him and flicked his nose. “Ouch!”

“I’ll pass.” She deadpanned. Chat couldn’t help but grin at her answer.

“It was worth a try I guess.” He said, jumping onto her railing, tail swishing. “See you around, Princess!” he bid her adieu.

“Go on and go annoy Ladybug, Chat.” She dropped formalities. Chat’s expression turned tender as he looked down at her.

“Marinette?” he called. She turned her ocean eyes to him. “Thank you.” He smiled. With that, he was off her balcony and racing across Paris’ buildings.

Marinette blushed and grumbled about mangy cats being weird.


	4. It Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette get to spend some time together as Gabriel sorts things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is another chapter!

\--------------------------

 _“Come feel my heart_  
It’s beating like a drum and I confess  
When you’re around  
It’s like an army’s  
Marching through my chest  
And there’s nothing I can do  
I just gravitate towards you  
Pulling on me like the moon.”

—The Cab, “La La”

\-----------------------------------

Chapter Four: It begins

Chat Noir landed beside Ladybug, grinning in greeting. Alya quirked an eyebrow at him in suspicion.

“Where were you, you mangy cat?” she asked. Adrien just continued grinning.

“Nowhere! Just touring the city.” Chat Noir replied. Ladybug made a noise, not convinced, the journalist in her not satisfied.

“Hmm, right.” She spoke, “Were you touring around a certain bakery, perhaps?” a coy smile bloomed on her features. Adrien’s luminescent eyes widened.

“How did you—I mean, what makes you think that, LB?” he quickly covered up his exclamation. Alya continued to smirk.

“Oh, no reason,” she began, pretending to be nonchalant, “Except that all day you’ve been like ‘Marinette is so cool!’ and ‘Marinette is so brave!’ since we defeated Jackady.” Ladybug did an impression of Chat Noir’s fangirling for emphasis. Chat looked at her sheepishly.

“She is though! She totally saved my dad’s ass.” he said in praise.

“Yeah, but we do that all the time along with saving all the other citizens of Paris.” Alya smirked. “What’s so special about Marinette?” she teased him. Adrien blushed.

“Well, you know… it’s our job to save people, but she didn’t have to do it.” Chat explained.

“It wasn’t always my job.” Alya said, feeling the insecurities rise in her. She wasn’t originally chosen like Adrien. Chat waved his hands.

“No! That’s not what I meant—you were meant for this too! Look how well you do at protecting the city.” Chat Noir reminded her. Ladybug sighed.

“But _she_ would’ve done better.” Alya said mournfully, laying her chin on her arms. Chat placed a hand on his partner’s shoulder.

“But remember—whoever she was—she chose _you_. She saw something in you that said to her that you were more fitted for the job.” He assured her. She gazed at him solemnly.

“You still think about her, don’t you, Adrien?” Alya inquired, already knowing the answer. Chat Noir looked away.

“Sometimes.” He admitted shamefully. He looked up at the starry sky. “I like to think she is watching over you and me and feels proud.”

“It isn’t your fault she left.” Ladybug told him.

“I know… I just wish I knew why she left.” Chat Noir said sadly. “I just want to know if she’s okay.”

“Well Tikki refuses to tell us who she is.” Ladybug told him. “Probably best to move on from it, Chat. You know how upset Tikki gets when you mention the previous Ladybug.”

“Yeah…” Chat deflated. He looked to the stars, melancholy. The red head furrowed her brow. A smile then developed on her features.

“Sooo… shall I expect you asking out Marinette soon?” she inquired. Chat made a choking noise.

“What?!” he exclaimed, his green eyes wide. If the mask wasn’t covering his face, Alya was sure she would’ve seen a blush across his cheeks.

“Come onnnn, you flirted with her every time you saw her today. Chat Noir having a crush?” she teased. She then took his hand and dropped her voice to mimic his. “’Oh Princess, you’re welcome to become a superhero with me so we can watch the stars together and then make kissy faces.’” Alya cackled. Adrien blushed even more.

“It’s not like that!” he denied embarrassed. “She just reminds me of someone!”

“Yeah sure, lover boy.” She said, not believing him. “You don’t flirt with just anyone. You don’t even flirt with me.”

“That’s because you’re like my sister.” Chat replied.

“So Marinette is definitely not like your sister then?” Alya smirked.

“Exactly!” Chat said, glad she got it. However, he realized that she tricked him and his ears reddened from shame. “I hate you sometimes.”

“Whatever.” Alya dismissed him grinning, standing up and readying her yoyo. “Just don’t be presenting me with any new kittens you two have too soon, okay?” with that she flew off into the air.

“Alya!”

\------------------------

Gabriel breathed a sigh, hearing his son’s window open and close at long last, and pushed himself away from his son’s bedroom door. His heart was heavy as his mind was swimming with many problems, and half-solved solutions to meet them. Recalling that Plagg was a super cheese freak, he made sure the camembert was at the front of the fridge in the kitchens before his son snuck down there to feed his kwami.

Retreating to his office, Gabriel felt tired, but knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep that night. He gazed at the portrait of his wife, a dread filling him. Why now? Why did this have to happen to his son? Did Master Fu know that was his son when he chose him?

 _‘That insufferable old man doesn’t know when to quit, does he?’_ Gabriel thought bitterly. His fists clenched at his sides, nails biting into his skin, making his palms bleed. _‘He’s already ruined my life enough and now he’s going after my son?’_

Anger flooded him then, the memories assaulting him. He had the urge to go to the old man’s shop himself and give him a piece of his mind. He couldn’t believe Fu had the audacity to choose his son when he knew how much the Miraculous brought pain to Gabriel and his family. Did he have no remorse? No shame?

Gabriel let his frustration ignite with a flame as he punched the wall beside his wife’s portrait. The pain in his hand registered in his mind, but nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

He could go up to Adrien’s room right now and take the Miraculous away. He could throw it into the ocean and let it never be seen again. The more Gabriel listed off possibilities to be rid of the cursed item, the more inviting the opportunity sounded.

 _‘But what of Hawkmoth?’_ a voice asked inside his mind. _‘If Adrien isn’t there to help Ladybug, Hawkmoth could seriously harm people…’_

 _‘Let them be harmed,’_ Gabriel thought back stubbornly, _‘I’m not allowing Adrien to suffer like I did. In time, he will see it was good for him.’_

However, he remembered all the times Adrien has become miserable because of his decisions to keep him safe. About all the times he had begged Gabriel to be on the outside—to be free.

“I’m protecting him!” Gabriel whispered, banging his fists on the portrait. The sound shocked him, and he looked up into the painted image of his wife’s eyes. So gentle and kind. He sighed, laying his forehead against the portrait. “I’m protecting him, aren’t I…?”

Silence answered him. His eyes clenched shut—he refused to let tears fall. The loss of his wife was like a forever open wound. He didn’t want Adrien to ever feel this way. To lose someone he loved because he was a soldier for the greater good. Destiny could be cruel.

 _‘And if Hawkmoth finds him without his Miraculous, what will his destiny be then?’_ Gabriel’s conscious sneered, the reality of what Gabriel had to let Adrien do sinking in. If Hawkmoth found out Adrien was Chat Noir, he would definitely target him. And if Chat Noir didn’t have his Miraculous, what then?

_‘Death’_

Ice blue eyes looked to the ceiling, wondering if this would be the time the Gods answered him at last throughout all the misery he suffered, but as always, the Gods were silent.

If he took away Adrien’s Miraculous now, it could spell doom for his son. He’s already in too deep, and there was nothing Gabriel could do about it. He opened the safe behind his wife’s portrait, determination in his veins. He’s seen Adrien be reckless as Chat Noir. It wouldn’t do for him to be this reckless anymore. Someone had to protect him.

The sparkle of his wife’s Miraculous met him inside the safe. He had forgotten how brilliant it shown under the light. He gently fingered the jewel, remembering how his wife had handled her miraculous with care, and held it close to his chest.

“Duusu,” he called softly, “Please Duusu, I need you right now. Your time is needed once again.” He told the jewel.

Nothing happened. The jewel stayed silent, as if mocking him. Gabriel slumped his shoulders in dismay.

 _‘It won’t work for you,’_ the voice in his head mocked in mean spirit _, ‘You no longer believe…’_

Gabriel sighed, rubbing his temples. If he couldn’t go out into the field to protect his son, who could? Who would Duusu want to be her wielder if not him? He sat in his office chair, running a hand down his face in exasperation.

Who could he trust to protect his son if not himself?

They would need to be determined—to be kind and humble. Someone who doesn’t goof off at the job and understands the gravity of the situation. Someone who can think of their feet and be resourceful—wait…

Gabriel looked up, grabbing his laptop. He loaded up the Ladyblog by Adrien’s friend Alya, and searched for a certain article. The picture was from the Evillustrator incident, with Chat Noir holding a certain pigtailed girl to his chest during battle.

He clutched the Peacock Miraculous in his hand, resolve filling him.

If Fu could choose soldiers, so could he…

\--------------------------------------

Marinette bit her thumb as she sketched out a new design. After yesterday’s disaster with Jackady, she was glad for a peaceful Sunday where she could work on designs. She hoped she could get this one done before she went fabric shopping with her family. She snuggled deeper into her knitted red and black infinity scarf. She wore an oversized gray Micky Mouse sweater, the sleeves striped gray and black, with black leggings and black ballet flats. She wiped pencil shavings off her sketchbook, her eyes concentrated on the way she wanted the fabric to fall, imagining it in her mind’s eye.

“Wow, Marinette! Your room looks so cool!” someone praised.

Marinette’s eyes bugged out comically as she screamed, throwing her sketchbook in the air. She whipped her head to the sound to see Adrien Agreste in her room, wearing a long sleeved black shirt with his usual overshirt and his blue scarf that she had secretly made him with his usual blue jeans and orange sneakers.

The urge to hide behind her bed was strong as her legs shook from surprise.

There was a boy in her house.

There was a boy in her room.

 _Adrien Agreste_ was in her room.

Her mind went into overdrive as she could feel her brain try to self-combust. Adrien seemed perfectly fine with standing in her room, his hands at his hips, as he surveyed her walls of designs and the fabric all over her desk.

Urges to usher him out of her sanctuary were high, but she held her ground. She couldn’t be rude, even if he was intruding in her space. Besides, she had to figure out how did he get here in the first place…

THEN she can kick him out.

“Um… h-how did here get you?” Marinette stuttered out, mixing up her words. She flinched and tried again, “How did you get into my room?”

“Oh!” Adrien looked embarrassed. “Sorry for startling you, but your parents said I could just head up here to see you. I didn’t think you’d react this way.”

Oh. That’s why. Her traitorous parents.

Speaking of which, she heard a creak of her trapdoor open and she glared at them peeking through the opening, obviously spying on her. Her parents quickly shut the door when they realized they were caught.

“It’s fine.” Marinette fidgeted, twiddling her thumbs. “What do you need?” she asked, confused at why he was there. Adrien smiled at her, making her heart pound.

“Well, I wanted to come over to thank you for saving my dad yesterday.” Adrien told her. He then looked bashful, making Marinette think of a baby doe with how cute and innocent he was, “Also, I kinda wanted to… hang out.” He admitted. Marinette looked at him shocked.

“Hang out?” she questioned.

“Yeah,” he smiled, touching her shoulders. “You’re really cool and I know we don’t hang out a lot, but I wanted to get to know you more.”

She could’ve sworn she heard her mother squealing under her trap door, but she chose to ignore it.

“You don’t have to do that…” Marinette looked away, unable to tell the pure, innocent soul that she didn’t really want anyone’s company. Adrien looked confused.

“I do.” He assured her. “You’re always by yourself. Maybe we can be friends?”

Marinette’s brain went into overdrive at the statement. Friends with Adrien meant seeing Alya more, which would make it harder to hide that she knew she was Ladybug, which might lead them to discover she was Ladybug, which then could cause a lot of mayhem…

Marinette shook her head vigorously, banishing her internal freak out. She grinned shakily, stepping back, allowing herself to be free from him touching her.

“Um… that’s really sweet, Adrien, but I’m supposed to go fabric shopping with my parents—“

“Oh sweetie!” Sabine immediately opened the trap door, “We just wanted to tell you we can’t take you fabric shopping today, so you’re free to do whatever you want today!” Sabine chimed in hastily. Marinette looked at them bug eyed, scrambling to find another excuse to get out of this, but it seems her parents had other ideas.

“I could take you fabric shopping.” Adrien volunteered smiling. Marinette gave her parents the death stare, to which they just grinned, and she turned to Adrien, smiling nervously.

“You sure you wouldn’t mind?” Marinette asked, hoping he would back out. Adrien nodded.

“Sure! I’m used to it with my father.” Adrien shrugged.

“Oh thank you so much, Adrien!” Tom said graciously.

“We really appreciate it!” Sabine added. “Have fun, Marinette!” with that, they shut the trap door, leaving the blonde and raven haired girl alone.

 _‘Traitors.’_ Marinette thought. Adrien just grinned at her.

“Ready when you are.” He told her. Marinette nodded, trying to calm her fast beating heart, and grabbed her purse.

“Okay, it shouldn’t take too long to walk. Are you okay with that?” she asked him, wondering if maybe he would prefer to take his car. Adrien only seemed to be a ball of sunshine.

“Of course not! It will give us time to talk.”

Both climbed down the stairs of her room and exited through the bakery. A cool breeze brushed past them, making Marinette and Adrien shiver a bit.

“Summer’s still a ways off.” Adrien commented. Marinette nodded, rubbing her hands together. The blonde boy turned towards his companion and offered his arm.

“Shall we, Princess?” he said charmingly. Marinette stared at him, blushing. Realizing what he said, he flattered. “I mean, I was, uh…”

Surprisingly, Marinette couldn’t help but giggle a little, happy that even cool people like Adrien can get flustered, and walked a little ahead of him, turning back with a teasing smirk.

“Well, aren’t you coming?” she asked, surprising herself at how welcoming she was, but finding that perhaps it’s because Adrien is as harmless as a chipmunk in one of those Disney Princess movies was probably why she was okay with it.

Adrien grinned and ran to catch up with her, and they were off to the fabric store.

\--------------------------

Marinette wanted to drool at the sight of so many fabrics, but refrained with Adrien there, and raced inside. Adrien chuckled as he watched her.

She immediately started touching and feeling everything, her mind cataloguing what was good material and what wasn’t from her hands. Adrien found it adorable; however, he shook his head to rid of the thought. Stupid Alya….

Yet he couldn’t help but be mesmerized as he watched her in her element. Her bright blue eyes practically sparkled and her expression was full of wonderment. He wouldn’t lie that sometimes he couldn’t help it if Marinette just seemed to pull him in—something about her made him want to gravitate her way. Ever since he offered his umbrella to her on that rainy day, he couldn’t help but feel like he knew her from somewhere else—like he’s met her before—but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Though as time passed, he found getting close to Marinette was a challenge. She didn’t seem to want company and ran away from it when it came her way. She was very jumpy when it came to him, Nino, and especially Alya. He wondered if maybe she still was holding a grudge about the gum incident, but when he did get a chance to force her to interact with him, she treated him nicely, so he didn’t think she held any bad blood.

Perhaps her reluctance to converse with him as Adrien made him more pushy with her as Chat Noir. She was painfully shy, and Adrien wanted to bring out her smile like he had on that rainy day. When she smiled, it reminded of him of rays of sunshine peeking through on a cloudy day. It was radiant, much like his mother’s, and Adrien felt the need to see it more and experience the calming feeling it gave him that all was right with the world.

Marinette made a clicking noise, drawing Adrien away from his thoughts. He caught her standing in front of some blue fabric. She appeared to be caught in between a royal blue and carribean azure blue, fingering the fabric. Adrien walked up beside her, observing.

“Both are good colors.” He told her. Marinette nodded, still looking pensive. “Though if it’s for yourself I think red and black suits you just fine.” He commented, gesturing to her scarf. Marinette winced violently, a reaction he wasn’t expecting, and shook her head rapidly.

“No!” she exclaimed. Blushing, she dropped her gaze, lowering her voice to normal level, “I mean… they are good colors but I want to make something calming. I just want to make a simple empire waist, knee-length, dress to go with my black leggings… though I don’t really have any scarves to match…” she trailed off, thinking. Adrien looks around, finally coming across the yarn section. His eyes widen when he catches sight of a pretty yarn that was mixed with Surf Blue, emerald green, light green, and turquoise that matched Marinette’s eyes. An idea began plotting in his mind, as he turned away from it and face her. He reached and touched the carribean azure blue fabric, smiling at her.

“This one I think.” He told her. “Make it empire waist like you wanted, but make sure the dress kinda flares out with the skirt. You should make it long sleeve since it’s still cold, and a round neckline.” Marinette pictured the product in her mind’s eye, getting excited at the prospect. She rocked on her heels and grinned.

“That sounds pretty nice. Something simple and comfortable to wear, but has some flirty aspects to it.” Marinette turned to him, smiling, “thank you, Adrien.” Adrien shrugged, smiling.

“It’s no problem. When your dad’s a fashion designer you sorta pick these things up.” His smile then turned into a teasing grin. “Soooo is there anyone you want to look flirty for?”

Marinette’s entire face exploded into a pretty blush that Adrien found endearing, and she stammered violently.

“N-n-n-nope! Nadda! I don’t wanna look flirty for you—I mean anybody! ANYBODY I mean!” Marinette freaked out in her mind, scared that Adrien might know about her crush on him. Adrien just looked at her confused, wondering if maybe he pushed her too far, before she cleared her throat. “Anyway—as you have noticed I don’t hang around much people so there’s no one to really look flirty for.” Marinette added, her face still red.

“That’s okay.” Adrien told her. “You can look good for yourself. Isn’t that the most important?” he said. Marinette snuggled into her scarf, smiling shyly.

“Mm. It is.” Adrien rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish.

“Also… you can always hang with me.” He told her. Marinette’s eyes widened. “I really like hanging with you..” Marinette’s ears turned pink. She turned to the fabric hastily and picked it off the shelf.

“I’ve decided to get this one since you gave me a great idea! Let me go get it cut.” She sped over to the counter, leaving Adrien to blink confused at her behavior.

 _‘Definitely really shy.’_ Adrien noted. His emerald eyes turned towards the yarn he was looking at, checking to see if Marinette was preoccupied, and hurrying to grab the yarn and paying for it.

\----------------------------------------------

“T-thank you for coming with me today, Adrien.” Marinette thanked him, remembering her manners. They approached the bakery and turned to each other. Adrien smiled down at her.

“It’s no problem, Marinette.” The blonde said. “It was really fun! You definitely are talented.” He said sincerely. Marinette smiled gently at him, and Adrien felt warm from it. He coughed. “I’ll see you!” he bid goodbye, and quickly ran off to avoid embarrassment.

 _‘Stupid Alya.’_ Adrien cursed again, his cheeks aflame.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Gabriel sat at his desk, thinking intently. How would he go about this? It’s been about twenty-four hours since he came up with his plan, but he didn’t know how to carry it out. He couldn’t really go up to her house and give her the Miraculous. It would be too suspicious. He didn’t even know where she lived.

 _‘Way go to, Agreste. You can’t even do your plan correctly.’_ Gabriel deadpanned in his mind. A knock at his door startled him, making him hide the peacock miraculous in a drawl. He cleared his throat. “Come in.”

Adrien entered nervously, worried he may have interrupted something, but Gabriel sighed in relief seeing him.

“Adrien, what is it?” he asked his son. He clenched the drawl under his desk, paranoid that Adrien knew what he was planning. Alas, Adrien was unaware what was going through Gabriel’s mind.

“Father, I wanted to let you know I was back from Marinette’s.” the blonde said. Gabriel perked up at the name.

“Marinette? As in Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” he asked. Adrien nodded.

“Yeah. Is there something wrong?” the blonde asked. Gabriel shook his head.

“No… I just… is she one of your friends, Adrien?”

“Well, I hope she’ll be…” Adrien told him nervously, rubbing the back of his head and looking at the floor. “She’s really nice.”

“I see.” Gabriel replied, a plan forming in his mind. “Why don’t you invite her over for dinner one night? You can even invite those two friends you’re always hanging out with.” Gabriel explained.

 _‘They can distract each other while I do what I need to do with Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng’_ he thought. Adrien’s eyes lit up in shock.

“Really? You’re okay with that, Father?” Adrien gaped at him. Gabriel nodded.

“Yes. You are my son—it’s only natural I see who you are hanging out with.”

“Oh well… you’ve never done that before.” Adrien told him, still reeling in surprise. Gabriel internally winced at the reminder of his bad parenting skills. However, remembering his plan, he would soon be making it up to his son.

“You’re right.” The man answered. Getting up from his desk, he approached his son. “After dealing with that insufferable Jackady I realized some things and I would like to try to make it up to you.”

Adrien just stared at him, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, before a grin broke out on his face.

“Oh! Thank you Father! They’ll be on their best behavior, I promise!” Adrien exclaimed, hugging him. Gabriel smiled tenderly at his son, hugging him back. They separated and Adrien looked a little awkward.

“What is it?” Gabriel asked.

“It’s just… do you know how to crochet, Father?” Adrien asked suddenly. Gabriel blinked. His son was never one to be involved with the crafting sense of fashion, but not one to complain for a chance to bond with his son, answered.

“Yes, it’s been a while but I should still know a thing or two.” Adrien smiled.

“Great! Because I am making a present and I need all the help I can get.” He said bashfully. Gabriel placed his hands on his son’s shoulders.

“Well, let me seen what materials you have and we can get started.”

Stressing and planning could wait for now. Everything would fall into place soon.


	5. Prisoner of Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette attempts to take a step forward towards a better future

_“Negative emotions like loneliness, envy, and guilt have an important role to play in a happy life; they’re the big, flashing signs that something needs to change.”_

—Gretchen Rubin

\---------------------------------

Chapter Five: Prisoner of Guilt

“Well well—if it isn’t Marinette the pain Cheng.” Chloe sneered, Sabrina and her snickering as Marinette entered the classroom. Marinette buried the lower part of her face in her white scarf, as her cheeks lit up in a blush. She clenched her hands into fists inside her pockets of her forest green sweater, wishing she could be anywhere else.

“Leave her alone, Chloe.” Alya glared, walking up to stand beside Marinette. “If anyone’s a pain it’s you.” Chloe crossed her arms.

“Hmph, at least I have friends unlike her.” She pointed at Marinette like she was something dirty.

“Chloe I swear—“ Alya started, but surprisingly it was Marinette who cut her off.

“By choice Chloe—unlike you who is just a nasty person.” Marinette told the blonde, getting irritated that everyone keeps bringing up her isolation. She chose this life—so what if Adrien and Alya have a problem with it? It was how she chose to live. It was that stupid Miraculous’ fault. If it never came into her life she would be able to make friends with Alya. Perhaps she would’ve found a best friend in her. However, the guilt snarled at her, clawing at her heart like a disease, and it reminded her of her place, and the punishment of isolation she deserved.

Chloe and Sabrina gawked that Marinette actually chose to stand up for herself. Alya burst out into laughter and placed an arm around Marinette’s shoulder. She didn’t notice Marinette wince a little at the contact.

“Good one! Told you good always triumphs evil.” Alya cheered. She looked at Marinette with gentle eyes. “heard you went to Nino’s dj gig the other day. Sorry I wasn’t there.” She told the raven haired girl. Marinette smiled, minding her manners, when inside she just wanted to run away.

“Oh it’s no trouble.” Marinette replied.

“I heard you met Ladybug and Chat Noir! That must’ve been interesting, huh?” Alya commented, a knowing glint in her eyes. Marinette wanted to laugh at how Alya snuck in her alter-ego so casually. If Marinette didn’t know her secret, she would’ve just thought Alya as a fan.

“Mm. It was. They are amazing.” Marinette complimented sincerely. She thought that superhero life suited Alya well. She wished more than anything she could tell her everything. If only she could reveal that she thought very highly of Alya, and that was why she couldn’t bring herself to be near her, thinking too low of herself for not accepting the burden of being Ladybug and pushing it onto another.

Alya grinned and examined her, her arm still around Marinette’s shoulder.

“Hmm, your sweater matches his eyes…” she whispered conspiringly to the raven haired girl, who blushed.

“I don’t think it so. Adrien’s eyes are more of a summer green or emerald shade.” Marinette commented. Alya’s grin spread in glee.

“I never said it was Adrien’s eyes.” Alya told her, while Marinette blushed and dug her nose into her scarf in embarrassment. Alya laughed and patted her shoulder.

“Relax, I was just teasing. I heard about him visiting you yesterday so I wanted the full scoop. Blondie never tells me anything.” Alya pouted. Marinette couldn’t help but giggle at her expression.

“He just wanted to hang out…” Marinette told her, smiling softly, remembering how nice Adrien was. Her heart pounded at the thought of him and she could feel her cheeks blush. As much as she told herself to forget about any chance with Adrien, she couldn’t help but feel this way. She wanted to scream and curse, but the feelings were imprinted in her heart. Alya couldn’t help but gaze at her, studying her intently, the cogs turning in her mind, but before she could come to any conclusions, Marinette snapped out of her trance and stepped out of Alya’s hold. Alya and Marinette both couldn’t help but miss the warmth of their contact, but Marinette crushed those thoughts, reminding herself of her place. Alya, on the other hand, felt herself wanting to reach out more, confusion overtaking her, and her desire to understand Marinette even more fierce.

Did she do something wrong to push Marinette away? She didn’t know. Ever since the day she met Marinette, she’s been hot and cold to Alya. She won’t seek her out, but she won’t be rude to her either. It’s like she’s guarding herself against something. All Alya wanted to do was help her, but she didn’t know how. If only Marinette would just talk to her, then she could make it better. She was Ladybug—she’s known for doing the impossible. She could fix anything with her Miraculous Cure, but when faced with Marinette, she felt so helpless.

 _‘What good is being a superhero when you can’t even help out a friend?’_ Alya mourned in her mind. Before Alya could perhaps ask Marinette any of these questions, Madame Bustier walked in, and everyone was ushered to their seats. Alya and Marinette sat next to each other, the latter taking out her notes and ignoring the girl beside her as usual. Alya continued to discreetly watch her sadly, not knowing what to say or how to pursue a conversation with her during class. Nino looked back her from his seat, noticing his friend’s negative expression before they headed to their seats. Alya didn’t bother noticing, too busy in her thoughts. His eyes drifted to the midnight haired girl, who was engrossed in her note taking.

He wondered why Marinette seemed to distance herself. From what he saw, Alya was always nice to her and so was he and Adrien. She just seemed like she didn’t want to indulge in their company. A protective feeling surged through him—he wanted to tell Alya Marinette wasn’t worth it if it hurt her so much, but he knew Alya would just get upset with him pushing her away from trying to be Marinette’s friend. Maybe she would listen to Adrien if he talked to her about it, but it seemed that Adrien wanted the same thing Alya did—they both wanted to get closer to Marinette.

Marinette was a nice girl, don’t get him wrong, but there was only so much one could do to pursue being friends with someone until it got to the point where you get that the other person doesn’t want to be friends. But then again, there was something about Marinette that seemed to pull them all in—like a moth to a flame. It was like she was hiding so much of herself that everyone who met her wanted to uncover it, wanted to know her. The more she hid, the more they wanted to know. Marinette wasn’t always this closed off. She was a clumsy, kind girl that happened to be in his class, but ever since Alya and Adrien showed up, she changed.

But was it really because of Alya and Adrien? It didn’t make sense. Marinette was always nice, even if avoidant. She appeared to have gotten along with Alya at first before suddenly backing away, and Adrien told him she forgave him for the gum incident, so why was she so distant with him? It didn’t make any sense. What if it has nothing to do with any of them why Marinette changed? What if something happened at home she doesn’t want to talk about? Nino’s head spun with possibilities and scenarios so fast it was making a headache form.

 _‘All this thinking is not good for my brain…’_ he groaned. He cracked his neck and looked at the front of the classroom, not wanting to dwell on the problem for the time being. However, his thoughts couldn’t help but rear their ugly head when Adrien arrived late from a photoshoot. The blonde handed a note to the teacher and walked to his seat, but Nino caught the stray glance to Marinette’s form before he sat down. Nino wanted to bang his head.

 _‘These two will be the death of me’_ Nino mourned in his head. He jumped a bit when he felt a piece of paper brush against him. Careful not to call attention to himself, he opened it, finding it was from Adrien.

 _I have good news! My dad wants to have you guys over for dinner._ Adrien wrote. Nino didn’t know whether to find that news as good or bad, mindful of his encounters with the older Agreste.

 _Dude, you sure your dad didn’t get replaced by an alien?_ Nino wrote back, discreetly passing him the note. Adrien snorted and shook his head, writing his response.

_Is it so hard to believe? He wants to get to know my friends—finally he’s acting like a real dad._

_Alright, so when do you want me and Alya over?_ Nino wrote to him.

_This Friday. Oh, and there’s also another person he wants me to invite…_

Nino’s eyebrow rose as his gaze turned to look at Adrien. Adrien sheepishly smiled and jabbed his thumb behind him, right where Marinette was jotting down notes. Nino had to bite his cheek to keep himself from groaning. It appears the day Adrien and Alya will quit trying to be Marinette’s friend is a distant dream.

_Dude seriously? If I didn’t know you and Alya were together I would say you’re trying to date Marinette._

He passed the note and he heard Adrien made a choking noise, his face red as he scribbled his reply furiously.

_Nino, Alya and I are NOT together! She’s like my sister! And Marinette is an awesome person—of course anyone would want to hang out with her. I hung out with her yesterday. Anyway, be at my place around five on Friday evening, okay?_

Nino sighed and put the note away, thoughts swimming while he turned his attention to their teacher.

\------------------

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief as she managed to avoid Alya, guilt swarming her heart. She wanted to pull at her hair in frustration at how her heart and mind are pulling her in different directions. She wanted to be close with Alya, but her past guilt for giving up the Ladybug miraculous and forcing it on another wouldn’t let her. Her fear of being discovered for her failure at being a superhero gnawing at her conscious to the point of making her paranoid.

 _‘I wish those stupid earrings never came into my life!’_ Marinette groaned inside her mind. Her loneliness though chose it’s time to seize her heart. Maybe she could… No! She started shaking her head and banging her fists on her skull to rid her of those thoughts. Solitude! Solitude! Solitude!

So engrossed in her thoughts she didn’t noticed she walked straight into someone. She stumbled back with an “eep” and struggled to balance herself. Looking in front of her, she saw it was Nino with an eyebrow raised in confusion, clearly having witnessed her banging her fists on her head. Then his expression turned stern and he cleared his throat.

“You. Me. Lunch. Now.” He gestured firmly. Marinette just blinked, never seeing this side of Nino. He didn’t give her a chance to respond as he grabbed her wrist and started dragging her to a local café. Marinette’s eyes bugged at the gesture, not used to people touching her, and tried to dig her feet into the pavement. However, Nino noticed and turned to look at her.

“It’s about Alya and Adrien.” He told her. With that, Marinette stopped her struggling, worry consuming her. Was something wrong? But why consult her? Shouldn’t he be asking someone else who knows them better? Fear tugged at her that something had happened in their lives that she didn’t know. Her kind heart won in the end, and she followed Nino into the café without a fuss.

\---------------------------------

The air was thick for Marinette as she nibbled on a piece of cake on her fork, aware that Nino was watching her with a serious expression. She squirmed in her seat, afraid of what he was thinking.

 _‘This is so awkward! I wish he would talk’_ Marinette lamented in her mind. However, she would push through it if it was to help others. She just wished Nino didn’t watch her so intensely. It was making her paranoia act up more than usual.

“I don’t get you.” Nino said, startling her. She jumped a bit in her seat, and put down the fork. Heart pounding, she told herself to have courage and gaze directly at him.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You act like you don’t want anyone, especially me, Alya, and Adrien, to be your friends, but as soon as I mention they could be in trouble, you immediately come to lunch with me even though it obviously makes you uncomfortable.” Nino told her. Marinette blinked.

“I—“

“Don’t even try to protest, dude.” He held up his hand. “I saw you this morning talking with Alya—you even came to my gig on her invite. Let’s not forget you apparently hung out with Adrien yesterday.” Marinette’s face exploded into a blush. Nino narrowed his eyes. “You always do this. You brush us off and then you do stuff that makes it seem like you wanna be close. You’re sending my friends mixed signals.” He scolded.

“I’m not—I don’t mean to…” she protested weakly. Anxiety bubbled up in her system and she wrung her hands together to try to rid herself of it.

“Look Marinette, I’m not trying to be mean or yell at you.” Nino said. “I think you’re a pretty cool person, but I can’t have a crush on someone who can’t make up her mind and leads my friends on when they’re being sincere.” He admitted. Marinette’s eyes widened.

“You… I’m sorry… I didn’t…” she let out, shocked by his admission to his feelings. Nino shook his head with a smile.

“It’s okay. I know you don’t feel the same, and I don’t want someone who doesn’t treat my friends right.”

Marinette looked down at her lap, guilt swarming in her body like a disease. Her shoulders slumped, her actions becoming clear to her. She wondered how Alya and Adrien must’ve felt all those times she brushed them off and then looked like she was giving them a chance only to brush them off again. Her hands gripped the fabric of her sweater to the point of her knuckles turning white.

“Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say.” Nino said, taking out money to pay for them both. “Thanks for listening.”

Marinette nodded and gathered her things, not bothering to wait for Nino to say she could leave, and hurriedly leaving the café. She ran around the corner, leaning against the wall of an alleyway, panting hard. The guilt and worthlessness crawled through her veins, screaming at her at how deplorable she is. She slid down the wall and brought her knees to her chest. She hugged her knees close to her, burying her face in them.

 _‘Great, now I am a jerk AND a failure.’_ Marinette blinked tears away. She shook her head. She didn’t deserve to cry. Nino was right. She was being indecisive and dragging others into it. Back when she first gave up the Ladybug Miraculous, she told herself she would be fine with the solitude. She was always alone. She never had close friends, and she knew she never would if she needed to protect herself.

But she got a taste of what having a friend was like before she got the miraculous, and it continued to tantalize her even after she told herself she was meant to be alone so others couldn’t see her mistakes. Her failure to protect the citizens of Paris. Who would want a friend who shifted responsibility to someone else just because they didn’t want the duty themselves?

 _‘Alya and Adrien do…’_ a voice reminded. Marinette violently shook her head.

 _‘they wouldn’t want to be if they knew the truth!’_ Marinette argued. If Alya knew she threw her responsibilities on her for being Ladybug she would hate her. No one enjoys that pressure put on them. And Adrien… he wouldn’t want to be friends with someone so pathetic. She was sure of it.

 _‘But just because you get closer to them doesn’t mean they’ll find out. You can hide it.’_ Her heart threw back. Marinette blew her hair out of her face in frustration. Could she really do that? She didn’t think of herself as a good actress, but maybe she could get close to others without them knowing of her mistakes?

_“I saw you this morning talking with Alya—you even came to my gig on her invite. Let’s not forget you apparently hung out with Adrien yesterday. You always do this. You brush us off and then you do stuff that makes it seem like you wanna be close. You’re sending my friends mixed signals.”_

Nino was right. She needed to stop going back and forth. She could do this—she could stand firm and live in solitude. She wouldn’t lead them on anymore.

 _‘Or you could let them in…’_ her mind argued. Marinette stood up, shaking her head. She pulled at her hair and wanted to scream at how she couldn’t seem to be strong and let go of the possibility of friendship.

“Marinette?” a voice called. Marinette snapped her head to in front of her to see Adrien, Alya, and Nino standing in front of her. Adrien and Alya were watching her with worry while Nino stood back, intently watching their interaction. Adrien stepped forward and wiped a tear from her eye. Marinette jumped, not realizing she was crying after all.

“Are you okay, girl?” Alya asked in concern. “You didn’t come back to class so we were worried and Nino told us he saw you around here.” Marinette looked at Nino, who gave her a shrug. So he didn’t tell them about his conversation with her...

“I… I’m fine.” Marinette lied. Her fists were clenched at her sides, anxiety churning in her stomach like a tsunami. This was it. She had to tell them to stay away from her. She shoved the other part of her mind that was urging her to take their offered companionship in the back of her head. However, before she could speak, Adrien beat her to it.

“Are you free Friday?” he asked her. Marinette looked at him confused and he put a sheepish expression on his face as his hand rubbed the back of his neck. “My father… he wants to have you over for dinner to thank you for saving his life. Alya and Nino will be there too so you don’t have to be afraid of my dad!” Adrien reassured her, knowing she was very skittish. Marinette looked over all of them, Nino’s words ringing in her mind. She had to reject this.

Yet, when she gazed into Adrien’s hopeful emerald eyes, the words died in her throat. She remembered how nice it was to spend time with him getting fabric. How warm he made her feel. She looked at Alya, also looking hopeful, and guilt overcame her at how many times Alya had tried to get close to her and every time Marinette brushed her away in order to protect herself.

“I…” she started. Her eyes locked onto Nino’s who gave her a knowing stare.

_‘I can’t do it…’_

She couldn’t reject them. Not like this. She didn’t think she could do it again. She didn’t want to be alone anymore.

 _‘Just hide your secrets. They will never know.’_ Her mind whispered, and Marinette felt herself caving, the desire for companionship too strong to ignore.

“I… would love to, Adrien.” Marinette told him. Adrien’s face lit up like it was Christmas and grabbed her hands.

“Really? You mean it?” he asked excitedly. Marinette nodded, weakly smiling. Alya cheered and hugged her.

“Don’t worry! We can pick out outfits together so we impress Mr. Stoneface.” Alya promised her. Marinette felt so warm in her arms. She felt like she could stay in Alya’s embrace forever. She missed the touch of affection she had from friends. It was so comforting to know you’re not alone. The guilt tried to capture her in its hold but she pushed it away, choosing to bask in her decision for friends. Behind Alya, Nino gave a smile and a thumbs up, to which Marinette gave a small smile.

Maybe there was hope. Maybe she could let others in.

Maybe she could do this after all.

\-----------------------------------------------

Tom and Sabine couldn’t contain their squeals when Marinette entered the bakery with a girl with auburn hair and glasses. Marinette gave a sigh as she mourned that her parents would never be normal when it came to having people over.

“Hello Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng! I’m Alya—I hope it’s okay for me to be here.” Alya introduced herself. Sabine and Tom couldn’t stop grinning in excitement.

“Oh honey, call us Sabine and Tom! And it’s no problem at all!” Sabine told the girl. Tom nodded.

“Yes, feel free to come by anytime!” Tom added. Marinette rolled her eyes. Was she really so pathetic in social interaction her parents were happy about anyone coming over?

“My room’s this way.” Marinette spoke, gesturing her to follow her. Alya grinned and the two climbed up to Marinette’s room. Once there, Alya looked amazed at all the designs and pieces of fabric that decorated the room.

“You make clothes?” Alya asked in awe. She brushed her finger tips over the half made dress Adrien helped her pick out fabric for. “I knew you were good at designing from the hat competition but I didn’t know you were this good.” Marinette blushed bashfully.

“It’s nothing special.” Marinette denied. Alya grinned and laid an arm across her shoulders.

“Nonsense! When you become famous be sure to hook me up, okay?” Marinette gave a shy smile and nodded. Alya hugged her.

“Awww you’re so cute! Come on, let’s see what clothes you have so we can wow Adrien’s dad.”

Marinette sat on her bed as she watched Alya picking through her closet, a little nervous. She invited Alya over because she couldn’t bear going over to her place—to see where Tikki now called home—without feeling immense regret. She knew Tikki was in Alya’s bag, and she felt remorse that she had to return to Marinette’s room, even undercover, knowing what had happened here and how she was rejected. She wondered if Alya knew about her and Tikki’s relationship. Judging by how Alya was very affectionate with her, she doubted Tikki said anything about Marinette being the past Ladybug. Alya wouldn’t be treating her so nice if she knew how weak Marinette was.

“Do you have anything more fancy?” Alya asked her, bringing the blue haired girl out of her thoughts.

“Never needed to be.” She replied. Alya face palmed.

“Not even to impress a boy? Come on! Don’t you wanna wow Mr. Agreste? He is your future father-in-law, right?”

“WHAT?!” Marinette gaped at Alya, who was looking at her with a too innocent expression.

“What? You haven’t thought about marrying Adrien?” she continued playing dumb, but Marinette could _swear_ Alya was laughing it up in her head.

“I—No!”

“Really?” Alya smirked, letting her true nature show. “Adrien’s a good looking boy. Very nice, successful model, smart—you’re telling me you haven’t fantasized about being our favorite golden boy’s girlfriend?”

Marinette choked on air as her face erupted into a bright shade of red. She then got a hold of herself, telling herself she wouldn’t be that fangirl she was before pinning over someone who wouldn’t like her back. She narrowed her eyes.

“No—and besides, you’re his girlfriend. Why ask me what I think about Adrien?” she pointed out. Alya just blinked at her, staring in shock.

Suddenly, her shoulders shook and she burst out laughing, doubling over. She was laughing so hard she almost fell to the floor in her mirth. Marinette gazed at her in confusion, wondering what was so funny. It wasn’t until Alya straightened up her posture and tried to explain.

“I’m sorry” giggle “but I thought Nino was the only one” laugh “who thought that crazy assumption.”

“Eh?” Marinette titled her head. “You mean… it’s not true?”

“God no!” Alya exclaimed with a grin. “Golden boy is like my brother! I would never think of him that way.” She told Marinette, who was now blushing in embarrassment.

“But… you always hang out together… and disappear together…” Marinette tried to salvage herself, but Alya just laughed and winked at her.

“Trust me—Adrien and I are NOT like that.” Alya joined Marinette on the bed, taking her hands from her lap and held them to her chest. “I’m sorry for prying. I just thought you and him would make a cute couple so I couldn’t help but tease.”

“C-couple?” Marinette’s ears turned red. She looked away from Alya’s earnest amber eyes that reminded her of molten honey. “It’s not like that… believe me.” She said sadly. Alya caught her tone and squeezed her hands comfortingly.

“I know we’re just starting to get close, but if you ever want to talk about boy problems or anything at all, I’m here for you, Marinette.” She smiled. “I’m sorry I’m so intrusive and pushy—I’m just so excited we’re finally talking.” Marinette gulped down the guilt in her throat, preventing herself from spilling everything to Alya right then and there.

“Me too.” Marinette admitted truthfully, smiling meekly. Her heart clenched, but she would not alert Alya of her feelings. She found herself relishing in Alya’s presence, basking in it like being engulfed in a cozy blanket by the fireplace with a good book. Alya grinned at her and pulled her towards Marinette’s closet.

“Come on, help me pick out something for you! You’re going to be the prettiest girl at the dinner if I can help it.” Marinette hugged her, then releasing her, smiling.

“We’ll be the prettiest. What’s a person’s looks without having their friend looking just as good by their side?”

\---------------------------------------------------

Gabriel gazed upon the sunset, shoulders straight and resolve strong. Friday seemed like it crawled to get here, but it was here finally. If he were a lesser man, he would be sweating bullets or biting his nails, but Gabriel Agreste was nothing if not a cool, composed man. Many would find his quiet, but proud presence intimidating, but there was a time he wasn’t this stoic. This stone faced, but those times are gone, and so was his naïve self.

He held the peacock miraculous to his chest, finding comfort in its presence, despite not being able to use it. Soon, the peacock miraculous would belong to another. It would no longer be dormant and lifeless.

 _‘Is this what Fu felt like when he gave us our miraculous?’_ he wondered. Despite his selfish reasons, he wanted to see Duusu live again—to be used and allowed to shine again. He wondered if this is how Fu felt about choosing successors not just so good could be done, but so the beings inside them could flourish for eternity.

“Father?” Adrien knocked on his door. “It’s almost time. Are you ready?” Gabriel looked towards the door and back at the pin, before tucking it away in his coat.

“Yes. Yes it is.” He said.

\---------------------------------------------------------

“How do I look, Tikki?” Alya asked, twirling in her orange knee length dress. The dress shade went from a bright orange to a dark orange at the end of the skirt. She placed on nude colored heels and checked herself out in the mirror. Tikki smiled and wave of approval while she ate a cookie.

“You look wonderful, Alya! I’m sure Nino will notice.” Tikki encouraged. Alya grinned as she blushed a bit.

“Yeah! That doofus is bound to notice me dressed up like this. If only Marinette could come over so we could get ready together.” Alya sighed, fixing up her hair into a french twist. She didn’t notice Tikki’s downcasted expression when the blue haired girl was mentioned.

“Are you sure Marinette won’t back out?” Tikki asked sadly. Alya looked at her kwami confused.

“What do you mean, Tikki?”

“Well… just… don’t get too hopeful with Marinette when she was so closed off before.” Tikki advised. Alya smiled and took Tikki in her hands, rubbing her head affectionally.

“You’re being paranoid, Tikki. I know Marinette didn’t want to get close to us before but she’s giving us a chance. Let’s give her one in return.” Alya told Tikki gently. Tikki smiled weakly and nodded.

“Yes! You’re right.” Tikki agreed. She flew over to Alya’s cream colored purse. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah!” Alya grinned, and grabbed her things. With that, her and Tikki were out the door.

\---------------------------------------------

“I don’t know about this…” Marinette mumbled, twisted her fingers into the pink fabric of her dress. She wore a nice rose pink knee length dress with cherry blossoms embroidered into the bottom of the skirt, and a sheer white shawl. Her parents smiled at her as they all stood in front of the mirror.

“Oh honey, you look so adorable!” her mother gushed, as she finished up Marinette’s bun. Tom nodded.

“Yes, you’ll be sure to impress—just don’t impress the boys too much.” He teased, winking. Marinette blushed and kicked her father in the shin with her pink heels.

“Papa! It’s not like that!” she told him. Both parents giggled.

“But that Adrien boy was so nice—be sure to bring him back her again, sweetie.” Sabine said, kissing her cheek. Marinette buried her blushing face into her hands.

“I’m going to go now.” She said, running out while her parents bid her goodbye through giggles.


	6. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel makes his move. Marinette is not too pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Marinette does have a breakdown and shows signs of depression in this episode so if this is a trigger please skip.

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_“A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.”_

—Jean de La Fontaine

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Chapter Six: Down the Rabbit Hole

Plagg munched on a piece of camembert as his human partner was fretting with his tie in the mirror.

“Just pick one—it’s not like you’re going to blow up if you pick the wrong one.” Plagg pointed out, rolling his eyes. Adrien turned to glare at him.

“This is important, Plagg! My father has never wanted my friends over, much less to meet them over dinner—everything has to be perfect!” Plagg threw the last of his cheese into his mouth, savoring the taste.

“Yeah yeah, you sure it isn’t to impress your girlfriend?” Plagg teased. Adrien blushed, turning away from him and made himself busy with his tie.

“Not your too, Plagg! Marinette isn’t my girlfriend—I just want her to be comfortable and my father to be happy!” Adrien protested. Plagg just shook his head exasperated and flew up into Adrien’s suit jacket.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Plagg said, settling himself. Adrien rolled his eyes and fixed up his suit.

“Come on, father is waiting.” Adrien said, heading out of his room to go to his father’s study. He stopped, hesitantly knocking on the door, and entered. His father stood, preoccupied by something in his hand, and Adrien cleared his throat.

“Father?” he called. Gabriel turned his attention towards him. “It’s almost time. Are you ready?” he asked. His father appeared to be lost in thought, looking towards him and then to the object in his hand before pocketing it.

“Yes. Yes it is.” Gabriel responded. Adrien smiled while father and son exited the study to meet their guests.

\------------------------

“Marinette! There you are! What took you?” Alya asked. Marinette panted a bit, having jogged there in heels. Nino stood beside Alya in a navy blue suit, white shirt, and red tie. “You look great, girl! I knew you would look cute in that dress!”

“Sorry… parents were talking to me.” Marinette replied, blushing at the compliment. She felt so out of place in her dress, not used to dressing so fancy for a dinner. Her fingers flickered over the material of her dress nervously, wondering if perhaps she dressed too plain for Adrien and his father.

“I was thinking you weren’t going to show for a sec.” Nino said, rubbing his neck, but he gave her a grin. “Maybe we should exchange numbers so we know nothing happened to you next time?” he suggested. Alya smiled excitedly.

“Oh yeah! We need to exchange numbers! Marinette, give me your phone!” Alya commanded, and Marinette obliged. She put in hers, Nino’s, and Adrien’s numbers in the phone and handed it back to her. Then she handed Marinette her phone so Marinette could put in her number. Marinette took less time to put in her number since it was just hers. Alya couldn’t help but bounce in excitement. When she received her phone back, Alya bit her lip to conceal her joyous grin and texted the number to Adrien with a winky face. Nino rolled his eyes when he saw her text towards his male best friend.

“Hey, look who’s here.” Nino pointed out, seeing Adrien exit his mansion, wearing a black suit, black shirt, and green tie, and looking at his phone, obviously receiving Alya’s text. Unlike Alya though, he didn’t hide the happy expression on his face at receiving Marinette’s number. He looked up to see them outside the gate and waved. Approaching the gate, he opened it and bumped fists with Nino.

“Hey, you guys are all on time!” Adrien noted grinning. Alya turned a teasing look towards Marinette.

“Welllll, one of us almost didn’t make it.” Alya chimed in, nudging Marinette who smiled weakly. Adrien turned his smile to her, making Marinette’s knees weak.

“The lady of honor missing out? Well we can’t have that, can we?” Adrien bowed to her, holding out his hand, a sincere smile on his face, and Marinette felt her heart skip a beat. “Are you ready, milday?”

Marinette stared at his hand like a deer in the headlights. A discreet shove from Alya is what snapped her out of it and she quickly grabbed his hand, a current of warmth shooting up her arm. He gently led her inside the gate, and they proceeded to walk to the door.

Alya quickly took out her phone and snapped a photo while Nino shook his head at her antics.

“You know you’re practically shipping your boyfriend with another girl, right?” he pointed out. Alya pinched his ear.

“It’s not cheating if he’s not dating me like your pea brain seems to think, now is it Nino?” Alya grinned, dragging him into the courtyard by his ear.

Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Nino entered the house by themselves. The Agreste family gave Natalie and the Gorilla the night off since Gabriel wanted to personally meet his son’s friends.

Standing at the top of the staircase stood the Agreste patriarch, poised and elegant as usual in a suit of his own design. He smiled professionally as he saw his guests arrive, and made his way down the stairs to greet them.

“Welcome, my son tells me a lot about you all. I hope you find tonight enjoyable.”

“Of course dud—I mean, sir!” Nino spoke first, bowing his head slightly in respect. Alya and Marinette curtsied politely. Gabriel nodded his approval. He gestured them to follow him.

“Shall we retreat to the dining room?” the four teens followed him into a large dining room with a table that could probably sit twenty easily. Gabriel sat at the head of the table, with Marinette and Alya on his right and Adrien and Nino on his left. “So Adrien tells me you all are close?” he questioned.

“Of course! We’re the best of friends.” Alya answered, smiling at Adrien and Nino, who smiled warmly back. She turned to Marinette and continued just as welcoming. “We’ve just gotten to know Marinette, but she’s quickly becoming one of us, right, Mari?”

Marinette jolted a bit at the informal address, and gripped her skirt with her hands anxiously, nodding quickly. However, she couldn’t stop the grin on her face at being included.

“Yes… we’re friends.” She whispered happily. For the first time, she felt happy to call people her friends. Alya touched her hand under the table, and Marinette intertwined their fingers. Gabriel peered at her in interest.

“I see, do you enjoy being friends with my son from what you’ve seen, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng?” he questioned. Marinette caught Adrien’s eye, and she quickly turned to look at his father before her heart exploded.

“Yes, sir. Your son… he’s been really nice to me, and so have Nino and Alya. I like them. I like them very much…” Marinette admitted. Something glinted in the older Agreste’s eyes, but Marinette couldn’t decipher it, but he seemed satisfied with what she said because he smiled gently at her.

“Good. Friends are important. Always stand by them, and they’ll never leave your side.” He told her, and Marinette wondered why he seemed saddened by his answer. She looked around to see if anyone else noticed it, but it seemed like no one really noticed as Nino was quick to reply.

“Yeah! And with Ladybug and Chat Noir protecting us, we’ll never lose each other.” Nino exclaimed. Gabriel composed himself, and Marinette’s brief glimpse into his soul was gone.

“It’s always good to remember that sometimes heroes don’t always succeed, young man.” Gabriel advised. Alya bristled a bit, feeling like her being Ladybug was personally attacked. For some reason, Marinette saw that Adrien was personally offended by that too.

“Father, Chat Noir and Ladybug will always be around to save the day! That’s what they do! You don’t have to worry about a day where we’ll be hurt because we have heroes to help Paris always.” Adrien protested. Alya followed.

“Nothing will beat Ladybug and Chat Noir—they’re our heroes! Hawkmoth won’t know what hit him when those two finally beat him.” She added. Gabriel looked at them, specifically Adrien’s earnest face, and shook his head with a tired smile.

“Of course. We’ll always have Ladybug and Chat Noir.”  The food arrived and each of them began filling their plate. “Who knows? There may be more heroes protecting Paris in the future.”

“Yeah, like Marinette!” Nino pointed a fork at the raven haired girl, winking. “The way she beat Jackady and his men makes up a pretty good resume.”

Marinette squirmed a bit, feeling like this was treading into too familiar territory. If Tikki could hear this whole conversation in Alya’s purse, she’d probably be angry that Marinette rejected her, only to emerge as a hero after all. Gabriel was watching her discreetly the whole time, assessing her.

 _‘She really hates the spotlight it seems.’_ He thought.

“Me? A hero?” a panicked laugh emerged from her lips, her heart pounding against her ribcage. “Don’t be silly, Nino! What would I fight akumas with? Rubber bands?”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short.” Nino told her. “You’re pretty scary with those rubber bands.” The whole table shared a laugh, but Marinette couldn’t hear it over the pounding of her own heart. Gabriel quirked an eyebrow at the girl’s behavior.

It seemed she had a few secrets of her own…

The meal went on without an issue and Marinette was able to calm herself down through jokes and steering the conversation away from Ladybug and Chat Noir. She saw how much, despite his stoic presence, Gabriel Agreste cared for his son. She hoped Adrien felt as loved as she felt by her own parents. Once the meal was over, the four of them stood up from their seats.

“Father, may we go to my room to hang out?” Adrien asked politely. Gabriel patted his son’s shoulder.

“Yes, but I request that I borrow Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng.” He replied making the teens blink in surprise. “I wish to give her a reward for saving my life.”

“Oh no, sir! You don’t have to do that!” Marinette protested, waving her hands. Gabriel spoke.

“Nonsense. It’s the least I could do. Think of it also as a thank you for being friends with my son.” Marinette looked to Adrien, who looked just as shocked, but gave her an encouraging smile and gestured her to go.

“We’ll see you afterwards.” He said, and Marinette nodded. The blonde then led Alya and Nino away, the latter commenting he hoped Adrien’s dad would give them presents for being his friends too.

“Follow me, Mademoiselle.” Gabriel commanded, standing from his seat, and Marinette gulped, not sure how to handle this intimidating man now that his son isn’t there to soften him. She quietly followed him to his study, the atmosphere a little eerie from the dark hallways.

He opened the door and led her inside. The lights blinded Marinette for a moment after being in the dark for a little bit. He shut the door behind them and took a seat at the desk. Marinette blinked, just standing at the doorway, before realizing that he wanted her to sit. She jumped like a scared mouse, before scurrying towards the chair across from him. Feeling more like this was an interview than a friendly meeting, she sat up straight.

“Tell me, Mademoiselle—”

“U-um, just Marinette is fine, sir.” Marinette interrupted. He paused, as if the idea of being so informal was foreign to him, before nodding consent.

“Marinette then.” He acquiesced. “Before I give you your reward, tell me, how important is my son to you exactly?” Marinette blinked in shock.

_‘Well that was certainly out of the blue.’_

“I’m sorry… what?” she questioned. Gabriel looked at her seriously.

“My son. How important is he to you?” he repeated himself. “At dinner, you all admitted that you have just gotten to know my son recently. In this short time that you have known him, how much value does he have to you?” he elaborated. Marinette blinked.

“I… um… we’re just friends, sir.” Marinette twiddled her fingers, looking away from his intense icy stare, her face flushing at the thought of Adrien’s smile and how he always seems so kind to her.

“You have feelings for him.” Gabriel stated, not bothering to phrase it as a question. Marinette squeaked, eyes wide in alarm and stuttering. Her entire face glowed like a firetruck.

“I—that’s not! How did you—”

“During dinner, you could barely make eye contact with him and you speak of him fondly when I asked you questions about him.” The older Agreste supplied, not bothering to sugar coat her obvious behavior. Marinette sunk lower in her chair, her cheeks and her ears glowing red. “Do you only like him because he’s a model? What do you know about him? Are you only friends with my son because you like him more than friends and you want him to feel the same?” he questioned her relentlessly, making Marinette want to crawl into a hole. “Are you using my son, Marinette?”

That question struck a chord with her, and Marinette stood up, glaring angrily at the pale blonde haired man.

“No! I would never use Adrien! Adrien is very kind—even from the beginning when I thought he was a bully like Chloe! He’s always looking out for me and trying to make sure I am comfortable!”

_“You’re really cool and I know we don’t hang out a lot, but I wanted to get to know you more.”_

_“I do. You’re always by yourself. Maybe we can be friends?”_

_“Also… you can always hang with me. I really like hanging with you.”_

“Even when I didn’t want him around, he… he keeps coming back, letting me know he’s there. Him, Alya, and Nino… they always keep coming back to me even when I push them away… even when I don’t deserve it… “ Marinette pushed the tears back. She clenched her fists at her sides, her eyes like blue flames as she glared at Gabriel. “I would never use Adrien! Not when I don’t even deserve his kindness.” She finished, shaking. Gabriel didn’t seem fazed by her outburst. He seemed to have gotten the answer he wanted, as he continued his bizarre questions.

“Do you believe that heroes always win? That good always triumphs?” Marinette stared at him, not sure why he changed the subject, but her mind flashed to Ladybug and Chat Noir, to Alya and Chat Noir. Alya who protects her in and out of costume and Chat Noir with his stupid puns and his desire to make her smile even when the circumstances are dire, and she knew that whatever Hawkmoth had to throw, she had faith that she had chosen the right Ladybug. That she had passed the torch to the true Ladybug, and in turn gave the true Chat Noir his perfect partner. She may not have been able to protect Paris, but she _knew_ with those two around, Paris would always be safe.

“Yes.” She answered certain. “No matter how dark things get, no matter how it seems hopeless, good always will come and defeat evil. There’s always been a balance. Evil will always be there, but good will also always be there to keep it at bay.” Marinette explained.

They gazed at each other, one intent, the other confused, and the clock chimed, reminding them it was late. Gabriel sighed, smiled, and reached into his pocket. The item glinted prettily from what Marinette could see, and he laid it on the desk in between them. The raven haired girl examined it curiously.

_‘A peacock pin?’_

“You have answered all my questions correctly, Marinette. In return, I know you are the perfect one to receive this reward.” She looked at him in puzzlement. He gestured her to take the trinket. “It’s yours. This is my reward. This is something very precious to me, and I know now in my heart that you are the one that is meant to have it.”

Gazing at the peacock pin, she reached towards it, intending to ask why exactly he put her through a test and why was the item so precious, but she never got the chance. As soon as her fingers touched its smooth surface, the pin alit with a celestial, heavenly blue glow.

“Ah!” the light blinded Marinette, causing her to cover her eyes from its brilliance. It took a bit for the light to clear, and Marinette found she had some black spots in her vision. She blinked her eyes furiously to rid of the effect of the radiant light, and when she was satisfied she looked at the pin, finding big eyes staring back at her.

Her heart stopped.

The being peered at her, its eyes full of wonder. Its gaze was watery, as if they couldn’t believe this was actually happening, the emotions overwhelming them.

Marinette felt herself die inside.

“Master?” its tone spoke, floating towards her, _reaching towards her._

No…

“This is Duusu, Marinette.” Gabriel spoke. His kind tone did nothing to calm her, only serving as announcing her sentence. “You have been chosen to be her partner.”

And she felt herself snap.

“No! No! No! Nononononono!” she screeched, turning around and scrambling to flee.

“Master?” the thing, the _kwami_ , begged. “Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave.” Its eyes tearing up. It flown after her but she was too fast and she paid the peacock kwami no heed, slamming the door open and running as fast as she could. All that registered in her mind is that she needed to get away, _far away_ from that room, that man, and that mansion.

_‘Nonononono! How could this have happened?! I gave Tikki away! That was it—I’m not a suitable Miraculous holder! How did Gabriel Agreste get a Miraculous?! Does Alya know? Did Gabriel Agreste give me the Ladybug Miraculous? Does Adrien know?’_

Her panicked mind halted like a sudden brake on a car. She stopped running, standing there panting in the middle of the street, her eyes wide and fearful, her thoughts going into overdrive.

“Is… has it all been a lie?” she questioned herself. “Did Alya know? Do they all know about me giving away Tikki? Is this a sick game to get me to have a Miraculous?!” she looked back on all those times Alya as herself and Ladybug said she’d make a great hero, how Chat Noir seemed to pay special attention to her, and how Gabriel Agreste had chosen her to have another Miraculous. Was this Tikki’s idea? Did she want her to be a hero so bad she put Alya up to this? Were they all in on this?!

Her paranoia overwhelmed her, she started pulling her hair and crying hysterically, not knowing what to do. She didn’t know what was genuine or if it was false. Her heart was hurting at the thought of it all being a lie. She had finally opened her heart, and it could have all been for nothing. The Miraculous continued to haunt her wherever she went.

She would never be free.

With a broken sob, she began running again, tripping and scraping her knees a couple of times, to her home. Her parents were asleep by now, and she hurried into her house, bolting the doors several times. She shut all the windows, locking each and every one. They would not follow her here. She wouldn’t let them. She fled to her bedroom, diving under the covers and finally succumbed to despair. Her sobs shook her whole body, and she gulped air like she was drowning. She didn’t notice her phone was buzzing for the last thirty minutes.

Marinette didn’t know how much time has passed as she hid in her dark room like a _fucking coward._ She couldn’t believe that when she was finally ready to move on, the Miraculous came back into her life to remind her of her failures and how incapable she was to wield one. What was Gabriel Agreste thinking?! Was he so stubborn for her to have a Miraculous that after giving her the Ladybug one failed, he needed to shove another one in her face?! She choked on her sobs, her entire body feeling the betrayal. Was that his plan? He was only being kind to her to bring that accused item in her life. And what about Alya, Adrien, and Nino? Did they know anything about this? She didn’t know. She didn’t want to know. All she knew was that she needed to be far away and lock herself away before she could do anymore damage.

So engrossed she was in her crying, she didn’t notice that her trap door opened suddenly, and someone hurriedly entered her room.

“Princess?! Princess?! Marinette?!” a terrified male’s voice sounded, tearing the blanket away from her distraught form, leaving her exposed. Blue eyes locked with glowing green ones and her breathing became erratic, bordering on her having a panic attack.

“N-No!” she flattened herself against the wall. “No! You can’t make me do it! I won’t do it!”

Chat Noir gaped at her, obviously scared at seeing her in such a state. His frantic mind tried to comprehend what she was talking about.

“Marinette—”

“Don’t you understand?! I am not the one! I’m a failure! I can’t do anything right!” tears fell down her cheeks and she gasped for air. She was suffocating. She started running her nails across her chest, feeling like her lungs were constricting as she sobbed. “Tell him I don’t want it—I’ll just mess up again! You don’t need me! No one does—I’m just a clumsy, mess up—”

She was interrupted mid-rant as Chat Noir grabbed her wrists, ceasing her clawing at herself, and pulled her to him so suddenly she didn’t register she was in his embrace until they were both lying on her bed. She hiccupped and tried to pull away, but he wasn’t letting her.

“Don’t ever think that, Marinette. Please don’t.” he whispered, his voice breaking. “People love you. You have wonderful parents who adore you. You have friends who think you’re amazing.” He held her tighter. “You have me. You’ll always have me.”

“N-no! It’s a lie—it’s all a lie! If people knew…” her voice cracked. “If they knew the truth, people would be ashamed…. This whole time… it hurts.” She despaired. Chat Noir just held her.

“Whatever Gabriel Agreste did to you, he will not get away with it.” Chat Noir vowed darkly. Marinette’s eyes snapped open.

“No! Don’t! Adrien loves his father—you can’t hurt him!” Marinette protested. “It’s me—I can’t go back there. I can’t!”

“You don’t have to.” Chat Noir reassured her softly, stroking her hair.

“You and Ladybug… you should leave me alone too.” Marinette cried, tears falling out of her eyes. “All I do is mess up and I’ll just make it worse for you…”

Chat Noir scoffed and pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

“What kind of knight would I be if I left my princess to fend for herself when she’s like this?” he whispered.

“Dumb cat…” Marinette sobbed as he held her. The guilt and paranoia weighed heavily on her mind, drowning her in her own thoughts.

Chat Noir, however, was there to keep her afloat. He would stay there all night if he had to.

And he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you guys are liking the story so far. I know some of you guys may have seen this story on fanfiction already so I am trying to post all the chapters to catch you guys up to speed.


	7. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette attempts to heal herself while trouble is brewing

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_“If you stand for nothing, Burr, what’ll you fall for?”_

—Lin-Manuel Miranda, _Hamilton: An American Musical,_ “Aaron Burr, Sir.”  

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Chat blinked tired eyes, squinting a bit when the sun’s rays brushed up upon him signaling it was morning. He didn’t know how long he laid there holding Marinette’s form, but he knew he didn’t sleep one wink—too frightened that she may wake and run away like she had from his home.

He knew something was wrong when Marinette didn’t come to join them to hang out. The feeling churned in his gut and he discreetly called it a night with Alya and Nino, who were also curious about why Marinette wasn’t with them; however, it was late and they knew Marinette was still very shy—she could’ve called it a night without alerting them.

With Alya and Nino gone, he had went to find his father to see if he had answers as to where Marinette was since she last was with him. Yet, upon approaching his office, he heard some noises like someone was sobbing. Alarm seized Adrien, and he opened the door a crack to see what was going on, but just found his father sitting at his desk with a tired expression, his head in his hands, no sobbing to be found. His bad feeling increased after seeing his father so worn down, and he immediately brought out his phone to text Marinette. He received no answer no matter how many times he had sent her a message, and his worrying overflowed to where he decided “to hell with it” and transformed into Chat Noir.

Arriving at the bakery took no time and he hurried, not bothering to knock when he heard heart wrenching sobs like someone was being tortured, and tearing her trap door open and dropping on the loft of her bed.

Seeing her like that… Adrien had never been more scared in his life for someone else. She looked hysterical, like her mind wasn’t all there, blabbering to him about not wanting something and how she was a screw up, and how she shouldn’t be there. It honestly scared him. He didn’t know what to do, but his instincts took over and he found himself not wanting to ever let her go.

Compassion and sorrow flowed through him as he clutched her sleeping form closer. What had happened between his father and Marinette? He knew his father was an honorable man, despite being intimidating. He knew that his father wouldn’t ever hurt anyone physically. Perhaps he had said something? Nevertheless, something had happened to put Marinette in this state, and Chat vowed he would get to the bottom of it.

He stroked her messy hair softly, afraid to wake her, and looked down at the tear streaks stained on her face intently. Was this why Marinette distance herself from people? She thought she didn’t deserve companionship? Why would she think that? She talked about making a mistake—was this the thing that weighed her down? She thought she couldn’t do anything right?

Adrien wasn’t sure, and wondered if he would ever crack the puzzle of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. A part of him worried he never would—that she would be suffering in silence the rest of her life and no one could save her from it. He wanted to comfort her and hold her close always, assure her she was good enough, and chase the monsters away that seemed to haunt her. A part of him wanted to reveal himself and to show her, both as Chat and Adrien, that she mattered to him, but he knew it wasn’t possible or wise. Revealing himself would put Marinette in danger, and he didn’t know if he could stomach it if something happened to her because of him.

Reluctantly, he removed himself from her side, mourning in his features at letting her go. Regardless, he knew he had to return to the mansion or else his father would notice, and he could kiss his days as Chat Noir goodbye. Climbing to her trap door on her ceiling, Chat took one last look at Marinette before entering the open air.

No matter what, he would make sure that Marinette always smiled because she deserved nothing less than happiness.

\----------------------

“He’s back…” Duusu announced quietly, sitting on Gabriel’s desk, looking absolutely devastated. Gabriel sighed and rubbed his temples, grateful that Duusu was on the lookout for his wayward son, and contemplated what a mess he got himself into. He had stayed up all night looking through the book of Miraculous Guardians for a solution, and finding none.

Of course, he didn’t expect Marinette to be all accepting and okay with a godly being giving her powers, but he didn’t expect her to scream like he sentenced her to a tortuous death either. He was shocked at how scared she was of Duusu, like he had summoned the hellhounds after her, but it was his fault for miscalculating the results. He should’ve done his research more before he jumped the gun on the girl. Now he wasn’t sure if she would ever come back to the mansion and claim her destiny. He had to get her to accept her miraculous, but how was he to do that, especially if his suspicions were correct and Adrien knew something, when not only would the girl be thwarting his plans, but his son would too?

Gabriel could already feel a migraine coming on, quickly searching his desk for aspirin. He knew Adrien had transformed and went to Marinette’s last night, but he did not know why nor did he think his son would fess up if he tried to get it out of him. He was on his own.

“Don’t worry, Duusu.” He soothed the kwami. “She’ll come around.”

Duusu gave him a weak smile, wanting to believe him, but finding that she couldn’t. Her chosen didn’t want her. Just like her last chosen left her… it brought tears to her eyes thinking about her last chosen, but she didn’t want to make Gabriel even sadder by bringing her up so she kept quiet.

Suddenly, Gabriel was jousted from his thoughts when the phone rang. Seeing that it was for work, he sighed tiredly, patted Duusu on the head, and answered the call.

\-----------------------------------------------

Alya yawned as she woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. However, seeing the caller ID, she perked up and grinned, not minding being woken up by her crush on a Saturday morning.

“Yo, Nino! What’s up?”

“Dude, did you see it?” he asked excitedly.

“See what?” Alya blinked. Nino made a noise and she could tell, despite being on the phone, that he rolled his eyes.

“Wow, this has gotta be embarrassing. Ladybug’s number one fan not in the know. Honestly Alya, guess you ain’t cut out for journalism after all.” He teased.

“Haha, very clever.” Alya replied, opening her laptop. “So what’s this news about Ladybug?”

“You should know. It’s on your Ladyblog.” Nino told her. Alya yawned and rubbed her eyes, clicking on her bookmarks to the Ladyblog and seeing what was posted. It looked like a video. Raising an eyebrow, she clicked on it. Immediately a girl, her age it looked like, with brown hair and grey eyes was giggling.

“Oh yes, Ladybug!” the girl said, smiling, and Alya narrowed her eyes at the coyness of her smile. “She saved me one time! Ever since, we’ve been like this.” The girl crossed her fingers symbolizing the hero of Paris and her were tight. Alya’s eyes continued to narrow. “In fact, I’ve given her a lot of inspiration and ideas on how to keep Paris safe!”

“What the…?” Alya whispered.

“What was that, Alya?” Nino asked. Alya jolted, forgetting she was on her phone, and spoke again.

“Nino, info. Now.” She commanded.

“Apparently her name is Lila Rossi and she’s from Italy—didn’t think LB’s influence went all the way there—but apparently her and Ladybug are best buds. I thought you would want an interview with her since you’re all about Ladybug and stuff.” Nino explained. Alya clicked her tongue in irritation as she rewinded the video and watched it again. She never seen this girl before. She usually remembers people really well, but this girl she is sure she has never seen or even met, yet this girl was claiming Ladybug was her best friend?!

“She’s lying.” Alya concluded. Nino laughed.

“Come on Alya, just because you didn’t know about her doesn’t mean she is lying.” Nino soothed her. Alya shook her head.

“No, trust me. I can tell. She’s too cocky.” Alya explained, feeling an intense dislike for the girl already. “Anyway she is in Italy so how could I interview her?”

“Well the thing is, she actually moved to Paris and is transferring to our school apparently.” Nino supplied. “Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll give you an interview”

 _‘I don’t want an interview with a faker!’_ Alya hissed in her mind. Ending the call, she turned to see Tikki awake and watching her curiously. “This girl is telling people Ladybug is her best friend to get popular! Can you believe that? No superhero would be friends with a conniving person—that’s not what good guys do!”

Tikki nuzzled her cheek affectionately. “I’m sure it will die down. She hasn’t ever met Ladybug so there’s only so far she can go with her story.”

“Yeah, but what if Hawkmoth were to hear this and think it’s true? She’d be putting herself in danger and me and Adrien in danger by saying she associates with us!” Alya exclaimed. “Saying you’re close friends with a superhero to the public is like putting a target on your back. It’s irresponsible and reckless!” Alya threw her arms up in the air. Tikki couldn’t help but agree at that statement.

“It is certainly not wise.” Tikki acquiesced. Alya blew a raspberry at the thought of dealing with a nuisance. Tikki patted her cheek comfortingly. “Cheer up, Alya, by Monday people will have forgotten the whole thing. It’s not like this girl is going to get a lot of attention just for that. It’s a fad—everything will fade in no time.”

\---------------------------

Monday came, and Gabriel was looking through the book of spells as he raged at his client through the phone. Duusu feasted on some fruit in the meantime, watching in interest at her old master’s lover hissing out orders. She couldn’t help but feel sad at how cold he has become.

Gabriel ended the call, and placed the Miraculous book in the safe. Duusu hid herself as his assistant entered, questioning him about something. Gabriel replied to her and the two were off. Duusu was about to come out from her hiding place to continue eating her fruit, but her eyes widened when she caught sight of her old master’s son entering without consent. She narrowed her eyes as she found the sneaky cat Plagg egging him on to open Gabriel’s safe. It appears that curiosity did kill the cat as Adrien ended up taking the book from his father’s safe and storing it in his bag.

“Oh no!” Duusu whispered, watching Natalie lead Adrien away, not knowing of what he possessed. “Gabriel’s not going to like this…”

\------------------------------

Marinette—wearing an off-shoulder pink sweater dress, white scarf, black leggings, and boots—blinked as she came upon to see many students buzzing around early in the morning. She quickly checked the clock, sure she must’ve been later than she realized, but found she wasn’t and caught snippets of conversations.

“I can’t believe Lila met a prince! Isn’t that amazing?” Rose gushed. Juleka smiled fondly at her friend and rustled her hair.

“I can’t believe Lila had a pet panther! That’s so cool!” Kim cheered to Max in another group.

“I can’t believe Jagged Stone wrote a song about Lila! He would’ve written a song about me but I’m too humble!” Chloe growled, walking by as Sabrina trailed after her.

 _‘Who’s Lila?’_ Marinette wondered. She walked further into the entrance hall, wondering if she arrived into a separate dimension, and jumped when Alya called her name, appearing frustrated. Marinette eep-ed and shrunk into her scarf. Alya didn’t appear to notice as she approached, slinging an arm around Marinette’s shoulders.

“Can you believe this girl? She’s saying all this ridiculous stuff to get attention!” Alya showed her a video on the Ladyblog then, and Marinette was face to face with a pretty girl with long brown hair and shining eyes talking about her and Ladybug are best friends. Marinette raised an eyebrow in confusion at the girl’s claim. She’s never seen her around Alya as Ladybug at all. Then again, Marinette tried to stay away from the spotlight herself when it came to Ladybug stuff. Perhaps she didn’t know as much as she thought she did…

 _‘Like if she set you up or not...’_ a voice sneered in her mind. Marinette blinked back tears as she squirmed out of Alya’s hold. She had the sudden urge to puke up her breakfast. She hasn’t been in contact with Alya or Adrien since the dinner, and she didn’t know if she could keep up this charade that she was unaware of them and Gabriel trying to force the peacock miraculous down her throat.

“Someone’s a little jealous someone is closer to Ladybug than she is.” Nino grinned, poking Alya’s cheek. Alya made a move to bite his finger and Nino squeaked.

“I’m telling you, Nino—she’s lying! She’s just trying to get popular so she made up tons of stuff about her life! No superhero would be friends with that!” Alya stated venomously. Nino put up his hands in surrender.

“Alright, I concede. Don’t need to bite my head off. Seriously, everything’s not black and white like in your comics, Alya.” Nino told her. Alya was about to say something when she heard a giggle that she was all too familiar with not liking from a certain video, and saw the very same Lila Rossi flirting with Adrien.

Marinette and Nino turned to see what she was looking at and Marinette felt her heart lurch when the new girl was getting cozy with Adrien. An ugly feeling bubbled in her stomach, but she squashed it. Adrien was not hers. And she wasn’t even sure if he was even her genuine friend after Gabriel tried to make her accept the Peacock Miraculous. It was best not to get involved with him or his friends anymore.

However, it seems Alya had other plans as she dragged Nino and her up the stairs to the library where Lila led Adrien to. Marinette could hear Nino groan at being manhandled. Marinette couldn’t help but relate to the sentiment.

They hid behind one of the book cases close to the table Lila and Adrien were sitting at. Alya hissed at how she was chatting up her best friend, feeling that Lila was treading into Marinette’s territory. She knew that Marinette and Adrien had some sort of unspoken thing going on, and she did not like that Lila was coming in to ruin it. Her best friend and crime fighting partner deserved the best of happiness, and she knew Lila couldn’t give it to him.

Nino made himself comfortable, not caring if Adrien gets with Lila or whatever. It was clear by now to him that Adrien was single, and NOT with Alya, so he didn’t see the big deal. He took out his phone and began looking up memes to pass the time. He beckoned Marinette closer and she apprehensively came, not sure about these three people now, but Nino just showed her funny memes Adrien had sent him before, and a part of her was beginning to feel at ease. Nino patted her shoulder, seeing her unease, and Marinette gave a weary smile.

“Sooo you like superheroes?” they heard Lila’s voice.

“U-uh yeah!” Adrien stuttered, jumping as Lila came into his personal bubble to examine the book he stole from his father’s safe. He felt like she was an intruder onto something sacred, but was too nice to back her off. “You’ve heard about Ladybug and Chat Noir, right? They’re amazing!” he praised. Alya nodded from behind the bookshelf. Nino and Marinette giggled from cat memes and Alya kicked Nino. He glared at her and she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Yes, but Ladybug isn’t as pretty as me, is she?” Lila cooed, placing her hand onto Adrien’s and leaning into his face. Adrien gulped at the proximity.

Meanwhile, Marinette was shown a particular funny cat meme and nearly lost herself in giggles. She had to lean against a cart to stifle her laughs. However, luck was not on her side as the cart ended up wheeling away from her weight and she crashed to the floor. Alya and Nino gaped at her.

Adrien turned to the direction of the noise and immediately got up from his seat when he saw it was Marinette on the floor. He raced over to help her, not noticing Lila’s eyes thin at the newcomer.

“Marinette! Are you alright? Do you need to go over to the nurse?” he fired questions rapidly, afraid she might break. Marinette flinched at his touch, not sure how to go about Adrien’s attention since she didn’t know if it was all an act or not. Nevertheless, she was cut off from her paranoid thoughts as Adrien hugged her, and she felt his soothing presence affect her in waves.

“It seems you’re okay, but I missed you through the weekend. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to see you.” The blonde-haired boy apologized. Marinette choked on her own spit.

“I-it’s fine, Adrien.” Marinette said shyly. She felt Lila’s glare on her and she couldn’t help but cough a little in awkwardness. “I… I kinda needed to be alone anyway.”

Adrien’s eyes widened in alarm at her admission, knowing she probably thought she deserved it, and wanted to reassure her, but Lila interrupted him.

“Who are you?” she approached, getting a little bit in Marinette’s space. This sparked something in Marinette, not liking the way the other girl was looking at her. She backed up a bit, sinking herself into her scarf. “Che cosa un topo.” She giggled, patting Marinette’s head. Marinette had the sudden urge to bite that hand.

“Marinette isn’t a mouse, Lila.” Adrien said, not liking the way the girl addressed his friend. Lila smiled apologetically.

“Mi dispiace, Adrien. She just reminds me of a mouse with the way she cowers from me like I’m a cat.” The statement was said good naturedly, but Marinette felt like it was a jab.

“I’d make a strange mouse then—as cats seem to line up to be my friend.” Marinette said mysteriously with a small grin in her scarf, as if she knew something Lila didn’t, and Adrien had to bite his lip from grinning at her little joke, knowing who she was referring to.

“You’re certainly a cute one.” Adrien added. Marinette, Lila, and Adrien’s eyes all bugged out at the statement. Adrien’s entire face glowed red, realizing what he said and coughed.

Hidden from their eyes, Alya was cheering him on from behind the book shelf while Nino just shook his head at what a fail whale his best friend was.

Lila surveyed the two, eyes narrowed as she assessed the situation. Marinette raised a brow in confusion as the girl looked her up and down, examining her, before seeming to come to a conclusion, and batted her eyes at Adrien.

“Well, Adrien, if you could, perhaps meet me at the park later?” Lila requested, inching closer to him. She averted her eyes shyly. “I have… something to tell you. Something important. It would mean a lot to mean if you came…” she spoke quietly. Adrien gave her an uneasy smile, but he didn’t want to judge her when he barely knew her, so he accepted the invitation.

“Sure. What time?” Behind the bookshelf, Alya was growling as she wanted to pound her best friend in for being so oblivious. Nino just sighed and wondered how his friend could be so dense. Lila grinned.

“Around 3. After school, please.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheeks, eyeing Marinette smugly. “Grazie, Adrien. You won’t be disappointed.”

Marinette narrowed her eyes, not liking the way Lila eyed her, but didn’t want to cause a scene since she wasn’t even sure about Adrien’s stance in their friendship, and stayed silent. While Adrien and Marinette were distracted, Lila snatched the book that Adrien was reading, and retreated away. Meanwhile, Alya was steaming at the girl’s actions, having seen her crime.

“That thief! I knew she was no good!”

Nino just nodded absentmindedly and wished he didn’t have such weird friends.

“So… Marinette…” Adrien started, realizing they’ve been left alone. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his heart skipping a beat. “How... how was your weekend?”

Marinette averted her eyes, caution building up inside her. She fingered her white scarf out of habit, the soft material under her fingertips a calming mechanism for her.

“Marinette!” Alya chose this as a time to interrupt, and Marinette couldn’t help but sigh in relief at not being left alone with Adrien, but then her anxiety increased when she realized she was in the company of both Alya _and_ Adrien. “There you are! I was looking all over for you! Good job, Adrien, you found her! Come on girl, we gotta go talk about girly stuff!” with that, Alya grabbed Marinette and whisked her away. “See ya in class, Blondie!”

Adrien just blinked in confusion at Alya’s actions, but shrugged. Turning back to the table, he went to retrieve the book, but his eyes widened when he found the table empty. Panic seized his heart.

“Plagg! Where is the book?” Adrien searched frantically. Plagg came out of his hiding spot.

“How am I supposed to know? It’s your book.” Plagg yawned. “I was having a splendid cap nap dreaming about cheese.”

“Come on, Plagg! Help me look!” Adrien commanded, anxiety building up in his stomach.

\-------------------------------

“Why didn’t you tell Adrien the truth?” Marinette asked, having been dragged to the courtyard. It was empty now. Alya shook her head.

“I didn’t want to freak him out. Poor boy gets traumatized enough by fans.” Alya replied.

“You sure you aren’t just being overprotective?” Nino asked, tired of Alya’s antics. “It’s just a fangirl. Clearly she’s harmless.”

“She stole something of his! That’s not harmless!” Alya protested. “When they meet up at the park, we’re going to expose her for the lying thief she is.”

“You mean you will.” Nino said, putting his phone in his pocket. “I’m not taking part in these shenanigans, Alya. Adrien is a big boy. He can take care of himself. Plus, it’s kinda cruel to expose her like that. Just tell Adrien she stole the book and be done with it.” Nino picked up his bag. “You’re my friend Alya and so is Adrien, but I don’t want to push myself into Adrien’s business when we shouldn’t have been spying on him. That’s not what friends do.” With that he walked to class with Alya staring after him, her cheeks red with frustration. She sharply turned to Marinette, who jumped, and grabbed her wrist.

“Fine, Nino! Marinette and I will do it.” Marinette dug her heels into the ground, causing Alya to turn back to the girl in question.

“I’m sorry, Alya… I can’t do this.” Marinette confessed. She was too hurt already. She didn’t want to immerse herself in their group problems right now. She needed to be alone and to figure out what she was going to do about including them or not in her life. Alya looked hurt at her rejection, but Marinette stood strong. “I… there’s a lot going on right now. I need to be alone. I think you should just tell Adrien the truth and not involve Lila in it.”

Marinette didn’t wait for Alya’s reply as she ran off, scared at what her reaction may be. So many thoughts swam through her mind, and conflict apprehended her heart. She didn’t know what to do with any of this right now. What was true and what wasn’t? If only she could have insight into this issue.

Perhaps it was better to go with her original plan and distance herself. At least then she wouldn’t be hurt anymore. No more lies or falsehoods. She would be lonely, yes, but she would be safe. Her heart would be safe…

Rounding a corner, Marinette took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. Her chest burned at the thought of parting with her new friends, but it had to be done. She couldn’t deal with falsehoods and being led on for something she didn’t want to do. She would only disappoint people.

“Well, if it isn’t Marinette.” A voice sneered.

Marinette looked up to see Chloe surveying her with her hands on her hips. A groan erupted from her mouth before Chloe yanked her scarf closer to her.

“Talk! I know I saw you and those two dweebs following Adrien when he was with that Lila girl! Tell me what you saw!” Chloe demanded. Marinette just wanted to slap herself. As if this day wasn’t bad enough…

“Let go, Chloe. They were just talking.” Marinette removed Chloe’s hands from her scarf, rolling her eyes. Chloe stamped her foot.

“That wasn’t just talking! She had her grubby paws all over him!” Chloe hissed. Marinette gave her a deadpanned expression.

“Isn’t that Adrien’s business what he does in his own time?” Marinette questioned. Chloe smirked and brought out her phone.

“That’s funny coming from the person that was spying on him. I wonder what Adrikins will think when he sees these security pictures of you all invading his privacy.” Marinette’s eyes widened at the threat, seeing the images of her, Nino, and Alya behind the bookshelf spying. She cursed under her breath.

“Fine, Chloe. She asked him out on a date—you happy?” Marinette conceded.

“That wench! She’s trying to put the moves on Adrikins! Not on my watch! Where is it?” she pressed Marinette for answers. Marinette sighed, feeling a migraine, that could only be caused by Chloe, coming on and answered.

“Park at three o’clock.”

Chloe growled and typed something in her phone. She waited for the phone to ring and someone answered on the other line.

“I’m cancelling shopping today, Jean-Claude. I have some fish to fry. Not literally of course since my nails would get dirty, but definitely getting rid of some smelly fish!” Chloe hung up the phone, not bothering to wait on a reply, and turned to Marinette. “You will accompany me to the park to spy on Adrien!”

“What? Why me?” Marinette spluttered. Was it possible for someone’s head to explode by a huge migraine? Because the throbbing in Marinette’s temples was hinting at it.

“For scapegoating if I get caught! I’ll say you made me do it.” Chloe smirked. Marinette sighed and rubbed her temples.

“Why would that make me want to go with you?” Marinette groaned. “No, Chloe. You’re on your own.”

“Nonsense! Unless you want me to tell everyone in school about your crush on Adrikins.” She said coyly, examining her nails. Marinette narrowed her eyes.

“Chloe…” she warned, but the girl only smirked wider. Marinette gritted her teeth in frustration, but knew that Chloe had the upper hand. She let out a sigh in defeat, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Fine. Fine. But if we get caught I’m telling the truth that you blackmailed me into doing it.”

“Hmph, as if anyone would believe you.” Chloe waved her off.

“You’d be surprised.”

\------------------------------------------

Three o’clock came and Alya took her position in the park, spying Lila sitting at a bench by herself, examining a piece of jewelry that was like a foxtail. Alya raised an eyebrow at the peculiar piece of jewelry. She appeared to be comparing something in Adrien’s book to the necklace.

“What is she planning?” Alya whispered to herself. Tikki’s eyes widened at the sight of the book.

“Alya! That book!”

“Yes, I know Tikki—she stole it from Adrien! And I’m going to expose her for all the lies she’s told about Ladybug!” Alya vowed.

“No, no! It’s not just that—that book—” but she was interrupted from her explanation when Adrien arrived. Alya snarled at how Lila threw the book away in the trash.

“It’s showtime, Tikki. Spots on!”

\------------------------------

Marinette wanted to bang her head against the tree trunk they were hiding behind. The throbbing headache from earlier was back at full force as Chloe stood beside her, hissing out insults under her breath at the brown-haired girl. How did she find herself in these messes?

She heard Adrien’s voice and peeked around to see Lila throw Adrien’s book away as he approached. She glared at the girl for not respecting someone else property. Did she not care about anything Adrien owned or liked or just cared for his looks? A protective surge flowed through her, not liking the implications of someone trying to use Adrien, but shook her head. It wasn’t her place to make that call anymore. For all she knew, Adrien could’ve been just like Lila and only buttering her up so his father could pass on the miraculous to her. However, she couldn’t help the pang of hurt in her heart at the thought of Adrien being conniving. Was he really bad? She didn’t see any lies in his eyes whenever he was with her, but perhaps he was just that good at hiding it? She was drawn away from her thoughts by Adrien’s voice.

“So, there was something you wanted to tell me, Lila?” Adrien asked. Lila smiled shyly, making Chloe and Alya jeer, unbeknownst that the other was there.

“Yes, I… I didn’t trust anyone else to reveal this to, and when your friend,” here Lila scrunched up her nose as if she smelled something awful, “came in. I knew I lost my chance to tell you then. But now that we’re alone…” she trailed off, holding up the necklace she bought. “Adrien, I’m like Ladybug and Chat Noir. I’m a superhero in Italy. My grandmother gave me this necklace to transform me into the powerful Volpina.” Lila explained, and if Alya didn’t already know she was full of horseshit, she would’ve actually fell for it.

“A Miraculous?” Adrien stared. His mouth went dry. There were more Miraculous besides his, Alya’s, and Hawkmoth’s? Why didn’t Plagg ever tell him this? Why didn’t Tikki ever tell Alya? His mind was trying to come up with explanations while Lila nodded solemnly.

“A Miraculous?” Marinette whispered to herself, eyeing it with suspicion. She knew there were other Miraculous other than the Ladybug, Cat, and Butterfly due to being exposed to the Peacock. She wondered, however, just how many exactly they are. And why would Gabriel Agreste give one to someone like Lila? As far as Marinette noticed, this was Lila’s first time in Paris. How could Monsieur Agreste give someone a Miraculous when they have never been to Paris? Did he give it to her in his travels? And wouldn’t Alya _know_ about this Volpina? Wouldn’t Chat? After all, Ladybug and Chat Noir were famous across Europe. You would think Volpina would garner the same fame. “Something’s not right here…”

“Yes. It’s a Miraculous.” Lila stated proudly, showing off the necklace. “It allows me to transform into Volpina and save the day. I’ve come here to join Ladybug and Chat Noir in defeating Hawkmoth! I’ve decided to tell you because I can tell you’re a trustworthy person and won’t reveal my secret.” Lila smiled, inching closer to him so that they were five inches away from each other.

Adrien’s mind was spinning in a whirlwind. A new hero? It was almost too good to be true! He grinned excitedly, grabbing her hands. Ladybug’s eyes widened at what he was going to do and immediately stepped in. She sprung from her hiding place and landed in front of Adrien and Lila with a glower. Both looked shocked to see her, but Lila looked especially dumbfounded.

“Hey! Lila, right? I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you since the last time I saved you,” here Alya’s amber eyes were like deadly flames as she landed in for the kill, “oh wait! My mistake! I never saved you! What were you thinking using my name to gain popularity?! Do you know how dangerous that is? How much that can jeopardize your safety?! No, instead you only thought of impressing handsome boys so you could be popular!” Alya ranted. Lila just gaped at her onslaught. Alya grabbed the necklace from her hands and broke it in half. “See? It’s a fake! No hero would ever want to hang with a liar!” she threw it to the ground and Lila hiccuped, embarrassed beyond belief at Ladybug’s attack. She rose up from the bench and gathered the two pieces of the foxtail necklace and ran away, sobbing. Adrien just stared at his crime fighting partner in shock. He glared, immediately rising up to challenge her.

“A—Ladybug! Why did you do that? She wasn’t hurting anyone!” Ladybug’s eyes narrowed at him, but Adrien stood his ground. His fists clenched at his sides.

“If I hadn’t stepped in, you would’ve told her our secret! Don’t pin this on me, Agreste! You can’t be so naïve as to believe everything people say!” Ladybug yelled at him. She was angry—livid that Adrien was defending Lila when he nearly compromised everything! That girl was trouble and Alya knew it from the start. No good came from her. “I can’t believe you would do something so stupid! She was only doing this so she could date you, Adrien!”

Adrien glared at her, before backing up and retrieving his bag, turning away from her.

“You’re right. I almost compromised us, and I’m sorry for that, but Ladybug,” here he turned to face her head on, “You used your position to hurt someone. That’s not what a hero does either. The previous Ladybug wouldn’t have done that.”

With that, he walked off, leaving Ladybug—Alya—to stare after him in disbelief. Her mouth opened and closed, as if she couldn’t believe Adrien, her best friend, said that to her. Hurt seized her chest and she felt like a wounded animal. He knew how she felt about being compared to the previous Ladybug. _He knew_ how much it affected her.

Tears sprung in her eyes and she clenched her teeth, refusing to let out any sobs. She gave a frustrated cry and flung her yoyo into the distance, leaping wherever that wasn’t there. Marinette and Chloe stared after her. Chloe just gaped while Marinette’s bluebell eyes were wide.

“I can’t believe Adrien knows Ladybug on a personal level like that…” Chloe said in disbelief. “Why wouldn’t he tell me that? We’re best friends… why hasn’t he told me any of this?” Chloe fretted. Marinette was distressed for a very different reason.

With the way he addressed her, Adrien has to have known Alya in her Ladybug persona very well. Did that mean her suspicions were right after all that Adrien and Alya have something to do with the Peacock Miraculous? Also, Adrien mentioned the previous Ladybug… how did he know about her? Sure, she looked different than Alya and their suits were different, but she didn’t think anyone really minded the change with the new Ladybug keeping Paris safe. Why would Adrien hold onto that memory of the previous Ladybug?

 _‘He mentioned the Miraculous…’_ Marinette remembered, furrowing her brow. Her stomach churned at what that could possibly mean. Perhaps Adrien was more aware of the Miraculous than she had thought, which means he could know something about her.

She bit her lip, drawing blood, at the thought of her being right about Adrien after all. Her eyes stung, alerting her they were tearing up, but she angrily wiped them away. This day couldn’t possibly get worse than it already has. Chloe seemed to have noticed Marinette wasn’t paying attention to her and glared.

“Marinette! I’m talking here! Listen to me, dam—” something caught her eyes and she squeaked in horror and disgust, jumping away from what she saw. Marinette blinked as Chloe jumped into her arms babbling. She growled, not liking Chloe getting into her personal space, before she caught sight of what startled her.

“Master?” Duusu surveyed the scene in confusion. “Master, what are you doing here?”

“Oh my god, what is that thing?!” Chloe screeched, holding onto Marinette tighter. Duusu only titled her head in confusion and floated towards them. Chloe yelped and buried herself in Marinette’s hair. “Marinette! Protect me! It’s some kind of mutant bird!”

Marinette just wanted the ground to open and swallow her up.

Apparently, things can get worse. Very worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian translations: (Sorry, my Italian is really rough at having not taken it in a such a long time)   
> Che cosa un topo- what a mouse  
> Mi dispiace- I’m sorry  
> Grazie- thank you


	8. No More Running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A decision is made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karin: Hi guys! Here with another chapter! Last chapter seemed to have confused some people on why Alya acted out like that, and I took inspiration from her episode with Lady Wifi and how she acted in Origins that she seems to have a rigid sense of justice when it comes to heroes and how people should act. As seen in Lady Wifi, she doesn’t like unfair bullshit and being treated unfairly or used and I think that if Alya was Ladybug, she would get annoyed that someone was using her for their own gain whereas Marinette got mad Lila was using it to get closer to Adrien. She also is overprotective of her friends and she was mad that Adrien was about to reveal their identities without consulting her or considering what could happen afterwards.

\----------------------------

_“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”_

― William Shakespeare, _Twelfth Night_

\---------------------------------

Lila sniffled as she walked along the street, clutching the broken necklace in her hands. Her teary eyes caught a poster of Ladybug and she snarled at the offending poster.

“Stupid Ladybug! She ruined my chances with Adrien!” Lila wanted to rip the poster in two. “What does she know about being a hero anyway? She abuses her power to attack people when she doesn’t like them! What kind of hero is that?”

Suddenly, a black butterfly flew towards the necklace, zapping it together with an eerie black aura. A voice spoke in Lila’s head, and she found it to be soothing against the fury and shame she felt.

 _“Voplina…”_ the voice spoke eloquently. _“I hear your cries. Ladybug humiliated you in front of the boy you like. Perhaps it’s time a new hero stepped in to show her how a real hero should act.”_

A purple glowing butterfly mask appeared in front of her face, and Lila’s eyes glinted maliciously.

“Sure, Hawkmoth. I’ll show her how it’s done.”

\------------------------------------------

Marinette wondered if she perhaps had taken up banging her head against the tree trunk after all, and knocked herself out because she was sure she didn’t have this much bad luck in one day, did she?

“Marinette! Stop staring at it and swat it away!” Chloe ordered, still clutching onto Marinette tightly. Duusu just gave them a watery gaze, the rejection fresh in her eyes.

Alas, yes, apparently she did.

Marinette made a noise of displeasure and promptly dropped Chloe on her butt. Chloe thumped against the ground with a shriek, and Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. Duusu surveyed her new master cautiously, not sure how she was going to react to seeing her again, but Marinette continued muttering to herself.

“What was that for?!” Chloe exclaimed, raising from the ground to give Marinette hell. “Do you know who my father is?! I’ll have you know these clothes are worth more than your parents’ bakery, Marinette, and you got them dirty—”

She stopped ranting immediately when Marinette’s eyes snapped open to glare at her, the color glinting brilliantly against her features. Chloe felt her breath catch in her throat.

“Chloe, I’m going to say this once, and only once.” Marinette started, her bad mood from today overflowing. “I don’t give a _rat’s ass_ about who your father is or how much your clothes are worth or even about you in general; so, please, for just a little bit, _shut the fuck up_.”

Chloe gaped at her like a fish, and Marinette turned to her second issue, the blue kwami watching her in fear. Her feet itched to run away, to leave the kwami behind, but she found herself frozen as she looked into Duusu’s eyes. The sadness. The agony. And Marinette found she was seeing herself reflected in those eyes. Guilt crawled up to squeeze her heart, and Marinette suddenly realized how cruel she had been to Duusu. She could hear a voice in her mind that sounded like Tikki reprimanding on how harsh she was to her and Duusu. She was a hypocrite.

She abandoned Duusu like she herself was afraid of being abandoned because of the things she did. Unlike her though, Duusu couldn’t change how she was involved with the Miraculous. Kwamis didn’t have a choice to be inactive. It was their masters that called all the shots.

 _‘I’m the worst…’_ Marinette mourned, her shoulders dropping. _‘I’ve been so selfish that I haven’t considered how Tikki or Duusu feel at my rejection. I only cared about my own fears.’_

“Duusu…” Marinette called, and the peacock kwami perked up, surprise at her holder acknowledging her. “Why are you here? I… I’m sorry but I can’t accept your miraculous. Monsieur Agreste made a mistake. I know you awakened because of me… but trust me, I’m not good for you. I’ll only weigh you down…” Marinette explained softly. Duusu looked at her in sorrow.

“That’s not true, Master. I came alive because I felt your conviction and beliefs. You are truly meant for a miraculous. Gabriel doesn’t make mistakes.” Duusu said, just as soft, and the two found their individual despairs linking on the same level, each saddened that the other couldn’t seem to agree with their sentiments.

“Um… sorry but what’s this thing, Marinette? Why is it calling you Master? Also, what’s this about Adrien’s dad?” Chloe interrupted, wary that Marinette would rain wraith upon her again. For someone who was closed off and quiet, she didn’t expect Marinette to have such a fiery temper. “You all keep mentioning something called a miraculous…” Chloe trailed off. Marinette and Duusu turned to her, both just remembering she was there.

“Marinette is my chosen.” Duusu supplied, stating it as if it was fact. Marinette winced.

“Chloe…” Marinette hesitated, not sure what to say or how much to say. “You know how Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Hawkmoth have items called Miraculous, right?” Chloe hmphed and flipped her hair.

“You mean those gaudy pieces of jewelry they wear? Yeah, not something I would personally wear.” Chloe crossed her arms.

“Well, they are what make them… well _them_.” Marinette replied. “They need those jewelry pieces in order to transform and be their other personas.”

“Master, are you sure you should be telling her this?” Duusu questioned, shocked at how her chosen was just informing Chloe everything. Marinette shrugged.

“Well, nothing can be done about it now. Let’s take you back to Monsieur Agreste, ASAP.” Marinette said, grabbing her bag from the ground. “Besides, she’ll just follow me everywhere screaming like a banshee if I don’t give her some information.”

“Rude! I do _not_ sound like a banshee!” Chloe huffed. Duusu giggled, but stopped as if she realized something.

“Oh! Master, I forgot! I was trailing Adrien Agreste because he has something really important of Gabriel’s! Something that can’t be replaced!” Duusu began panicking.

“You mean like a piece of jewelry?” Marinette raised an eyebrow. Duusu shook her head.

“No, it is a book! An ancient book that holds many secrets about the Miraculous! It can’t fall into the wrong hands.” Duusu fretted. Chloe and Marinette looked at her and then at each other.

“I remember Adrien reading a book in the library when he was with Lila.” Marinette recalled.

“What happened to it?” Chloe asked, curious. Marinette had a pensive expression, tapping her chin with her finger.

“Let’s see… that’s right! Lila took it! And then—gah!” Marinette gasped as it suddenly hit her. She raced over to the trash can, retrieving the tome. Chloe blanched.

“You’re actually touching that thing after it’s been in the trash?” Chloe looked green at the thought of touching trash. Marinette rolled her eyes, wiping the book off with her scarf.

“Relax. It’s fine. Clothes can be washed and so can skin.” Marinette turned to Duusu. “Alright, we have the book, now let’s return you and it to Monsieur Agreste.”

“You won’t be going to claim my Miraculous?” Duusu asked sadly. Marinette looked at her with a pained expression, feeling awful for disappointing yet another kwami. She gently picked Duusu out of the air and placed her in her scarf.

“Let’s get you back.” Marinette replied, not wanting to give Duusu false hope, but also not wanting to be mean like she was before.

“Hold on, I’m coming too.” Chloe claimed. Marinette watched her with wide eyes. Chloe scoffed at her expression. “You can’t expect me to go home and forget all about this, can you? I want answers on why Adrien is being so secretive! Something’s not right here!” Chloe crossed her arms. Marinette sighed and starting walking, gesturing her to follow.

“Fine, but no more screeching. You’ll attract attention.”

“Hmph! I do not screech.”

Duusu giggled at the new banshee lady arguing with her master. Clearly, she doesn’t pay attention to how she speaks.

\------------------------

Alya glared at the scene below her from the Eiffel Tower. The wind rustled her hair gently while she hugged her knees close to her chest.

“Stupid Nino, stupid Marinette, stupid Lila, stupid Adrien…” she grumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “and stupid Ladybug!” she hissed at the thought of the previous Ladybug. Her lips quivered as she kept hearing Adrien’s jab in her mind. She groaned and banged on her head a couple of times. “Dammit! He’s got me thinking about her! Tikki told us not to dwell on her and here I am doing just that!”

 _‘But clearly Adrien hasn’t been listening so why should you?’_ her mind grumbled. She pulled on her loose hair and let out a yell of frustration. She wanted to hit something! Perhaps she had been cruel, but hadn’t Adrien been crueler to attack her at her insecurities? He _knew_ of her feelings of being second best—the doubt in her mind at not being chosen originally like he had been.

She knew she shouldn’t wonder on the what ifs or the hows like Tikki told her, but she couldn’t help her curiosity. _Why exactly_ did she get a miraculous? What had the previous Ladybug been thinking at the time when she chose her to take her place? Alya wondered if she knew her. How did the previous Ladybug know she was meant for the job? Was it just a fluke and she chose a random person, or was it because the previous Ladybug saw something in her?

Alya remembered the first time she opened the box to the Ladybug Miraculous. She remembered the crestfallen face of Tikki as the kwami informed her she was the new hero of Paris. Alya had been ecstatic at the thought of saving Paris. She was so grateful to the previous Ladybug for giving her this chance that she took up the previous one’s title in her honor. To honor Ladybug’s greatness for choosing the right hero for Paris.

And then she remembered meeting up with Chat Noir. The absolute confusion and sorrow on his face when he saw her and not his original Ladybug. What had Adrien felt when Alya told him the previous Ladybug wasn’t coming back? Was he _that_ distraught by his Ladybug’s disappearance that he still thought about it to this very day? Was Alya not good enough to be his partner? To be his _friend_? If he still thought about the previous Ladybug, then perhaps she hadn’t been good enough at either of those things. Her amber eyes stung, unshed tears hanging in them, making them glisten.

“It’s not fair!” she cried, burying her head in her knees. “Why did she have to leave? Why didn’t she at least tell me why, so I wouldn’t be here second guessing myself? Why had she chosen me?” her voice cracked.

Because if Chat—Adrien—didn’t think she was good enough, then how could the previous Ladybug think she was good enough to take up her mantle?

She was sure if she released her transformation, Tikki would tell her things like not to worry about it or think on these thoughts, but it was too late. Adrien had found the perfect crack in her armor and broke it into pieces. It was too late to forget about it now.

However, before she could mourn any further, a light from the sky caught her attention. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the meteor tumbling towards Paris.

“Not good!” she flicked her yoyo into action and flew towards the trouble.

Unfortunately for her, someone else beat her to it.

Another masked superhero jumped in front of the meteor, banishing it away. The crowds of people cheered in relief at the threat being defused. The masked hero looked like an orange fox, with her pointed ears, scarfed tail, and orange bodysuit. Her eyes shined with a mischievous charm.

“People of Paris! Never fear for I am Volpina and I am here to protect you better than Ladybug and Chat Noir ever could!” she shouted, spreading her arms. The crowds below chanted her name over and over making Volpina smirk. Alya just blinked in confusion.

“What the…?” Deciding to be cautious, she approached the new hero quietly. She took a defensive stance just in case she turned out to be a threat. “Who are you?” she demanded. Volpina simply smirked and flicked her hair.

“I told you—I am Volpina! I’m the new hero!” she stared right into Ladybug’s eyes and Alya wanted to squirm. “I told you I was for real. I came to help fight against Hawkmoth.” Ladybug’s eyes widened.

“Lila?!” she exclaimed. How is this possible? She broke the necklace in half. A Miraculous wouldn’t be so easily destroyed. Lila—or Volpina—simply giggled and flicked some dust off her shoulder.

“You failed my test—I was purposefully telling Adrien about me to get your attention, and you went ballistic with the fake Miraculous I had.” Volpina’s eyes narrow. “Not very smart for a hero, are you?”

Ladybug bristled at the jab. Her teeth gritted in her mouth.

“I was protecting a civilian from a liar.” Volpina looked unimpressed.

“Oh really? Well looks at us now. I’m Volpina and I’m here. Guess your lie detector isn’t as good as you thought, now is it?” Ladybug winced at her tone, guilt and shame filling her at realizing Lila was right. She was here now, and clearly a superhero, which means that Alya was a jerk for nothing. Her shoulders slumped. She really felt like a bad person now.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. You clearly have proven your persona.” Ladybug conceded. Volpina grinned smugly and walked over to Ladybug, looping an arm around her shoulder.

“That’s the spirit! Now, onto more important things.” Volpina turned serious. “I believe I know the location of Hawkmoth’s lair.” Ladybug’s eyes widened in shock.

“What?! Where is it?” Alya grabbed her arm. Volpina chuckled and slipped out of her hold. She gestured Ladybug to follow her.

“Over here! This way!”

“Wait… shouldn’t we call Chat?” Alya questioned. She took out her compact and began to phone him. Volpina slapped her hand on the compact and giggled.

“Us girls can handle it, I’m sure! Besides, don’t you wanna show Chat at how great of a hero you are?” Volpina beckoned. Alya looked down at her compact pensively, recalling at how Adrien lashed out at her. His faith in her being a hero seemed to diminish marginally. She had to prove to him she was meant for the position of Ladybug!

She had to make him forget about the previous Ladybug…

“Alright.” Ladybug agreed, putting her compact away. “Let’s go.”

Volpina smiled good naturedly and they were off.

\---------------------------------

Adrien had arrived home a while ago, having locked himself in his room in order to cool off. Plagg watched him pace back and forth in frustration while the kwami munched on his favorite cheese. He swallowed, making a loud gulping sound.

“What’s the big deal? So you and Alya had a fight. It happens.” Plagg chimed in. Adrien shook his head.

“Yeah, but this was something really big, Plagg.” Adrien responded, rustling his golden hair. “Alya really acted out, and then I went and let my anger get the best of me and really hurt her. We both were wrong.”

“Well maybe she needs to hear it so she can stop being so much of a tight ass when it comes to how a hero should behave.” Plagg chomped on another piece of cheese. Adrien glared at him.

“Plagg! That’s mean.”

“Well it’s not my fault you subconsciously compare her to the previous Ladybug all the time. You’re always saying ‘oh we’re such a great team but if we had the other Ladybug we’d be better’ or ‘I wonder what the other Ladybug would do in this situation’… you’re like a broken record at times after akuma encounters.” Plagg explained. Adrien looked at the floor in shame.

“I didn’t…”

“Face it, kid. You’ve been holding onto the notion that Alya isn’t your Ladybug behind her back ever since she showed up with the earrings.” Plagg scolded. Adrien wanted to the floor to open and swallow him up. Guilt welled up within him, unleashing the hurt and abandonment he felt from the first Ladybug leaving him behind without any explanation.

“Alya is a great Ladybug…” Adrien protested weakly in order to defend himself. Plagg pinned a serious stare at him, his green eyes seeing right through his chosen.

“But she’s not _your_ Ladybug.”

Ashamed at Plagg’s statement, Adrien stopped pacing and sat on his couch, thinking to himself. Guilty that Plagg was right, he sighed and rubbed his temples.

“I just… I can’t help it… Ladybug was chosen like I was. I felt a connection with her. Yeah, Alya’s great and we work great, but it’s not…”

“It’s not like you’re in sync like it’s second nature.” Plagg supplied for him.

“Yeah…” Adrien admitted. Plagg contemplated telling him the truth behind the Ladybug and Cat miraculous, but knew it would only cause his chosen more distress at learning that Ladybug and Chat Noir were two halves of a whole, and therefore that is why he felt such a strong connection with her. It wouldn’t be good to weigh him down with more abandonment issues, and frankly a depressed Adrien was a whiny Adrien, and Plagg did not enjoy a whiny Adrien.

Also, he didn’t think he could bare the look of absolute despair at knowing Adrien lost his other half. Despite how he acted, Adrien was precious to him. His kitten mattered to him.

And so Plagg kept it to himself.

“I owe Alya an apology…” Adrien voiced out, rubbing his neck. “She didn’t… she doesn’t deserve to be named as second best as my partner in my mind. Even if she was wrong, I went too far with comparing her to Ladybug.” He concluded. Plagg hummed.

“I would advise you to talk to her how you feel. It will do your partnership and friendship good to be honest about these things.” Plagg advised. Adrien gave him a tired smile and scratched behind Plagg’s ear. Plagg, in response, purred.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“I always am.”

\------------------------------------------

“How much longer are we going to go?” Ladybug asked Volpina, as they traveled further and further from the populace. Volpina gave her a smile. Alya had to admit that it was smart of Hawkmoth to be hidden among the outskirts of Paris.

“Don’t worry, just a little longer.” Volpina promised as they went deeper into the woods. They stopped in a clearing, and Volpina turned to her.

“I’ll see if the coast is clear first before we both head in, okay?” Volpina volunteered. Alya furrowed her brow in confusion.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for us to go in together?” Ladybug questioned. Volpina shook her head.

“We can’t afford you getting captured. Hawkmoth is after your Miraculous, so it would be better not to risk you.” Volpina reasoned. With that, she went off ahead, leaving Ladybug in the clearing. Alya fidgeted, keeping her yoyo close to her, apprehension holding her.

So this was it… she was going to face Hawkmoth.

She wondered what Adrien will say when she defeats Hawkmoth. This is what they’ve worked for, finally coming to fruition. A part of her was saddened though, that he wasn’t here to fight with her. However, she knew this was something she had to do so she could prove to him that she was meant to be the true Ladybug.

Rustling caught her attention, and Alya’s eyes widened when she caught sight of Chat Noir coming out of the forest.

“Chat! What are you doing here?” she asked. Yet, she was caught off guard when Chat Noir glowered at her.

“I see you’re too busy to give me a call.” Chat snarled. He stepped forward more, making Alya feel uneasy. “What kind of partner are you? Some hero you are—you don’t even tell me we’re going after Hawkmoth.”

“Wha…?” Alya voiced out. “How did you know?” she asked. Chat Noir advanced on her, and Alya found herself taking steps back from him.

“I saw you and the new hero together! Are you replacing me too? Am I not good enough for a partner?” Chat hissed.

“No, Chat! How could you think that? I just wanted to prove to you I was a good hero!” Alya protested. Chat laughed mirthlessly.

“You? A good hero? Yeah right. I’d be so much better off without you.” Chat charged at her, baton raised and Alya hurriedly dodged. She readied her yoyo and flew away from him.

“Chat! What are you doing?” Alya yelled. Chat smirked.

“Getting rid of you of course.”

With that, he went after her and Alya flew away. She ran into the forest with Chat Noir in pursuit. Her mind was racing.

 _‘What the hell is going on?! This isn’t Chat at all!’_ Alya panicked. She ran as fast as she could, as Chat destroyed whatever was in his path to get to her. _‘Did Hawkmoth do something to him?!’_

She skidded to a stop, coming face to face with a cliff, and she turned to see Chat zeroing in on her.

“Chat, listen to me! Hawkmoth is controlling you! I’m your friend remember!” she backed up, finding herself at the edge. Chat smirked, the cruelty shining in his eyes looking so alien on him. “Volpina! Help!” Alya called.

“It’s just us here, Ladybug.” Chat grinned maliciously. “It’s time Paris got its real hero.”

With that, he charged and shoved her off the cliff. Alya screamed, feeling the pull of gravity weighing her down to the ground, and flung her yoyo out to save herself. Her yoyo caught and she found herself coming to a stop, the force of the pull causing her arm to dislocate. Alya cried in agony at the pain. Tears came to her eyes as she gritted her teeth. She raised her other hand to grip the wire of her yoyo as she hung off the cliff. A giggle sounded above her, and Alya bit through the pain to look up. Instead of Chat, there stood Volpina, grinning like a cat that just ensnared the canary in her trap.

“Honestly, you’re so gullible! And here I thought fooling you would actually be a challenge.” Volpina sneered. Alya clenched her teeth, anger rising within her at the betrayal becoming clear.

“You tricked me!”

“Yes, but you just made it so easy.” Volpina teased. “Now if you excuse me, I’ll be off to claim my prize before coming back to get your Miraculous.” Suddenly, a purple butterfly mask appeared in front of her face, obviously showing the displeasure of Hawkmoth at her statement. “Calm down, Hawkmoth! You’ll get your Miraculous! But for now, it’s my time to shine!” with that, Volpina left Alya hanging there. Alya struggled against the wire, trying in vain to pull herself up. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes, hurt consuming her.

 _‘I can’t believe I fell for her tricks!’_ Alya cursed herself. She began pulling herself up slowly, slipping on the wire. _‘I have to warn Chat! Lila is going to go after him next!’_

\----------------------------

Marinette felt her nerves overflow as she stood in front of the gates to the Agreste mansion. Her fingers shook as she pressed the call button to the intercom.

 _“Hello, what is it?”_ Natalie’s voice drifted through the speakers.

“H-hi, we’re here to see Monsieur Agreste.” Marinette anxiously said. “We have something of his.” She added. The camera examined her and Chloe, and Marinette felt the skepticism through the lens. She wanted to crawl into a hole.

 _“Monsieur Agreste is very busy.”_ Natalie said.

“It’s important.” Marinette stressed. “He’ll want to see us.”

 _“Very well.”_ The camera disappeared and the gates opened. Marinette and Chloe sighed in relief. Duusu peeked out from Marinette’s scarf.

“Okay, now we’ll return his book and be on our way.” Marinette announced. Chloe glared.

“Wait! Just like that? I want an explanation here!” Chloe stamped her foot. 

 _‘So would I, actually…’_ Marinette shook her head at that and chose to ignore Chloe, making her way across the courtyard to the front doors. Surprisingly, it was Gabriel who slammed open the door. He must have heard from Natalie who exactly was trying to meet with him. His icy blue eyes widened at seeing Marinette right at his doorstep; however, when he caught sight of Chloe, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Marinette… how can I help you?” Gabriel spoke, not giving any of his thoughts away. Nevertheless, he was even more shocked when Duusu revealed herself from Marinette’s scarf. Duusu looked guilty, fiddling her paws.

“I… Gabriel, I’m sorry.” Duusu told him with remorse. Gabriel quickly gestured them inside, to which the three followed sweet.

“Come this way.” He gestured to his office. Once they were shut securely inside the room, he swiftly turned to them in outrage.

“Duusu! What have you done?” he demanded for answers. Marinette jumped to Duusu’s defense.

“It wasn’t her fault, Monsieur Agreste! She accidentally found me and Chloe together. It couldn’t be helped.” Marinette explained. Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Duusu, what were you doing out in the open like that? You’ve could’ve been seen by anyone.” He scolded the kwami, but there was no bite to it like before.

“I was following Adrien.” Duusu confessed. “I saw him take the Miraculous book away from your safe and I knew I had to go after him to get it back.” Marinette brought out the tome and Gabriel hurriedly retrieved it, surveying it for any damage, panic clear in his eyes.

“It’s fine, Monsieur Agreste.” Marinette told him gently. “A girl stole it from Adrien and we found it in the trash can, but nothing was damaged.”

“I see.” Gabriel noted.

“Sooo… am I going to get any kind of explanation here?” Chloe decided then that she needed to speak, tapping her foot loudly. Gabriel seemed to have just realized she was there and replied with silence. This made Chloe growl and start yelling, “I know Adrien knows Ladybug! And you gave Marinette some kind of mutant bird that can make her like Ladybug and Chat Noir! How do you know all of this stuff?! Are you guys part of some secret agency?! Tell me already!”

“Mademoiselle Bourgeois.” Gabriel spoke coldly, in a tone that anyone with a brain would know not to cross him, and Chloe squeaked. “Will you kindly lower your voice? My assistant doesn’t have a clue of what we’re discussing, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“We’re not discussing anything.” Marinette claimed, gesturing Duusu to return to Gabriel, “We’ve just come back to give Duusu and the book back to you. We’ll be leaving now.”

“Marinette, if you would only listen—”

“Monsieur, with all due respect, you have chosen the wrong person. I know Duusu says you don’t make mistakes, but trust me when I say this is the one time you made a bad judgement call.” Marinette dismissed it, frowning.

Before Gabriel could protest, the door to his office slammed open and a frantic Natalie appeared.

“Monsieur Gabriel! Adrien’s in danger!”

Duusu had hidden in Marinette’s scarf, as the three people gave off an expression of alarm, and raced to follow Natalie to Adrien’s room.”

\----------------------------

Adrien’s eyes were wide as he looked upon the fox hero. She was smiling graciously at him and gave a coy wink.

“Hello, handsome boy!” she greeted. He could feel Plagg squirm inside his shirt. “What do you think of my superhero outfit? Cute, no?” she teased.

“Um… it’s very nice.” He blinked confused. The heroine giggled.

“Adrien! It’s me, Lila!” she grinned.

“Wha—Lila?!” Adrien exclaimed. Lila turned serious and grasped his hands.

“I’ve come to show you I wasn’t a liar like Ladybug claimed.” Lila gestured to herself. “I am Volpina and I’m really here to protect Paris!” Lila claimed. She stepped closer to him and Adrien backed up warily. “Don’t worry, Adrien. I won’t hurt you.” She reached a hand out to touch his face, but a wire quickly wrapped around her wrist, yanking her away from Adrien. Lila yelped.

Adrien’s emerald eyes were wide when he saw Ladybug—Alya—glaring down at Lila with righteous fury. Her amber eyes flared to life like a golden blaze.

“Ladybug?!” he yelled in shock.

“Adrien! She’s an akuma!” Ladybug shouted. She pulled on the wire harshly with one arm, causing Lila to screech in pain at being flung across the room into the wall. “She’s Volpina and she tried to kill me!”

“If only you stayed dead!” Volpina snarled, pulling against the wire. “If you hadn’t ruined my date with Adrien then this wouldn’t be happening!”

“Date?” Adrien voiced. “I... err… sorry but I didn’t really see it as a date.” He said sheepishly. Volpina gaped in shock as Ladybug grinned smugly. However, she screeched and pulled her arm, yanking Ladybug towards her. Ladybug hissed as both her hands tugged back on the yoyo, but the pain from her shoulder caused her to not have a strong enough grip, and she was yanked forward towards Volpina. Volpina punched her square in the jar violently. Ladybug cried as Volpina smirked. She readied her flute and played a few notes before the instrument was knocked from her hands by a baton.

“What a catastrophic it is that you seem to hate ladybugs, Volpina.” Chat grinned. “I hear they’re quite lucky.”

“Chat!” Ladybug exclaimed. Chat hurried to his partner and helped her off the floor. She surprised him, however, when she embraced him tightly. “Thank god you’re real this time!”

“Uhhh now isn’t the time, LB.” Chat told her as she sprung apart, dodging Volpina’s attacks. They readied themselves to fight her when the door to Adrien’s room burst open to reveal Gabriel, Natalie, Marinette, and Chloe. Chat’s eyes bugged open. “What the..?”

“Too late, Ladybug and Chat Noir!” Volpina sneered, having retrieved her flute and Chat’s eyes widened when he saw a doppelganger of himself holding her hand. “I have my handsome boy right here! Come and chase us if you want him back!” with that, her and the fake Adrien jumped out the window.

 _‘How did she…?’_ Gabriel and Chat’s eyes narrowed at the implications of Volpina’s abilities. Both knew Volpina didn’t have the real Adrien, for he was right there as Chat. Nevertheless, Gabriel knew that he had to keep up a front for his son’s sake.

“What are you just standing there for?!” he barked. “My son has been captured! Go get him!” Chat Noir and Ladybug snapped their heads towards him.

“Right…” Chat whispered to himself. Ladybug beckoned him towards the window and both were off. Natalie, Marinette, and Chloe watched the whole scene in horror.

“I’ll go call the police!” Natalie yelled, disappearing from sight. This left Chloe, Marinette, and Gabriel in Adrien’s empty room.

“Adrien… “ Marinette whispered, eyes wide with panic. Chloe was frantically pacing.

“Adrien! No! We have to save him!” Chloe cried. Gabriel wisely kept the information that Adrien was in fact safe and sound to himself. It was not the time or place to reveal his son. He didn’t trust the Bourgeois girl to keep a cool head if he spilled the beans. The blonde haired girl rounded on the other two people in the room immediately as they were not speaking at all. “What are you doing just standing there?! Do something about this!”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do.” Gabriel replied. Chloe was about to yell some more when a noise caught both their attention. They turned their gazes to the third occupant of the room, who was clearly in shock.

“Adrien… she took Adrien…” Marinette whispered. It seemed the severity of the situation was hitting her hard to the point where she was not comprehending it. Gabriel watched her in curiosity. “Adrien’s never been a target before… he’s never been taken before…” she bit her lip to the point of drawing blood. Drips of red ran down her chin. Duusu flew out from Marinette’s scarf and was comforting her. Chloe zeroed her eyes on the peacock.

“You! You can save Adrien!” Chloe declared. Duusu shook her head.

“Not alone. I need my Master to use me.”

“Grr! Then tell me how to use you so I can go save Adrien!” Chloe demanded. Duusu again shook her head.

“You are not my chosen. Marinette is my Master. Only she can use me.” She patted the pale girl’s cheek as Marinette was still silent. Chloe growled and swiftly grabbed her scarf, pulling her to her face.

“Yes, Adrien was taken, Marinette! So what are you going to do about it?!” Chloe yelled, shaking her. “Adrien is gone! My best friend is gone! And if you sit here and don’t do anything about it, I’ll never forgive you, you hear me?!” tears were streaming down Chloe’s face, the reality that her friend was in danger and she couldn’t do a thing about it, paining her.

Marinette’s thoughts were running like a marathon. Flashes of Adrien smiling appeared in her mind. Of him laughing. Of him being shy. She remembered his touches and encouraging words. She remembered the kindness he showed her from the very beginning. She remembered his face when he was holding his umbrella out to her—of his confession.

_“I never had any friends.”_

A hand reached up and grasped the hand that Chloe was using to grip Marinette’s scarf. Chloe stopped crying, looking up to see Marinette staring back at her, her eyes piercing her with the intensity of a blue inferno. She gasped at how they seemed to stare right into her soul. With Marinette’s guidance, she numbly let go of her. Chloe continued to gaze at her in a stupor while Marinette grasped both of her hands, pressing them against her heart. Gabriel and Duusu watched the midnight-haired girl in interest.

“Adrien will be all right.” Marinette said strongly. “Because I will save him.”

Chloe sniffled, her eyes flooding with tears, and she nodded. Marinette let go of her hands and turned towards Duusu and Gabriel.

“Master… are you sure?” Duusu asked, cautious, not believing what she was hearing. The kwami could feel herself buzzing with anticipation at being used once again. Marinette smiled, and Duusu was caught off guard at how warm it was. When Marinette nodded, Duusu could feel tears of happiness filling her eyes. She shook her head to rid of the tears and thoughts that accompanied them, but she found she couldn’t even begin to quell the happiness inside of her. Chloe, Marinette, and Gabriel watched in awe as Duusu glowed a bright blue in her joy, chirping a beautiful song. “It would be an honor to serve you, Master.” Duusu smiled as tears slid down her face. Marinette had a soft smile as she lifted her hands to catch Duusu in the air.

“Marinette.” Marinette corrected, still smiling, and Duusu felt herself grin.

“Marinette… I feel the cosmos singing in happiness. Its song is so beautiful.” Duusu sniffled.

“Yeah yeah! Hurry it up!” Chloe pressed them, coming out of her daze. Marinette nodded and turned to Gabriel who was holding out the peacock pin.

“Are you sure about this, Marinette?” Gabriel asked. Blue eyes shining in determination gazed into his. He was caught off guard at the conviction in them.

“Adrien has always given me kindness, even when I didn’t deserve it.” Marinette replied. She took the pin and clipped to her sweater. “It’s my turn to give something back.”

“Very well.” Gabriel nodded. “The words to activate the Peacock are ‘Feathers Fly’.”

Marinette took a deep breath, clutching the pin against her chest, and with a clear voice shouted.

_“Feathers Fly!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karin: Okay, there it is! Hope you guys liked it. Here is the link to finding Marinette’s costume.   
> https://www.tumblr.com/search/peacock+marinette  
> Just scroll down until you find karin-ochibi-chan and it is a hand drawn picture of Marinette in Chinese robes and a hat. The sleeves go from royal blue to sea green feathers and the sleeves are billowy.


	9. Hell Hath No Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette faces Volpina, Alya and Adrien are suspicious of this new hero, and Gabriel sheds some light on Marinette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit goes to the Guest reviewer “Guest” for giving the idea of the phrase “Eyes Open”.   
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Miraculous Ladybug.

\--------------------------

_“It is not the light we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.”_

—Frederick Douglass

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Marinette remembered what it was like transforming with Tikki for the first time. She remembered the sensation of sweetness and warmth surrounding her form, encasing her being. Now with Duusu, she felt the rush of a gentle breeze upon her body, the softness of feathers brushing against her arms and legs, making her feel weightless. She felt the soothing presence of Duusu all around her, making her heart and body feel like it was air itself.

“Woah…” Chloe gaped, the light of Marinette’s transformation fading away, allowing her and Gabriel to see the new hero. Marinette’s feet softly touched the carpeted floor, and she looked down at herself to see her superhero suit. It was a lot different than her Ladybug suit. She wore a dark teal sleeveless leotard that ended at mid-thigh, her collar resembling a cheongsam. However, the main focus was the royal blue robes over the leotard. The robes were off the shoulder, with the sleeves bellowing out to show her royal blue sleeves take on an ombre effect from blue to light green peacock feathers at her hands. Around her waist was a teal sash to match the teal trim at her collar where the pin resided in the middle above her chest. The robes flowed down her legs, with a slit opening at the thigh to allow free movement. Darker teal wings were embordered into the trim of the lower part of the robes to match the trim of her hat, which was also a royal blue to match her robes. Her legs were covered in dark teal thigh-high boots and her mask was a regular teal, bringing out her bright blue eyes. The peacock pin glinted beautifully in the middle right above her chest.

Surprisingly, the robes felt like nothing upon Marinette’s form, who thought the robes would get in the way of her fighting. She examined herself curiously, not quite believing what she was seeing. Gabriel nodded in approval.

“You’ll find the Peacock Miraculous is not the same as her sibling Miraculous like Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s.” Gabriel told her. “While not as powerful as theirs, it is certainly not a Miraculous to be messed with.”

“Where’s my weapon?” Marinette questioned, finding she had no weapon in her arsenal. Furrowing her brow, Marinette grew frustrated that perhaps she would be useless after all. Gabriel held up a hand to prevent her from her irritated thoughts.

“The peacock does not need one. As I have said before, this miraculous is different from the ones we’ve seen so far.” Gabriel gazed upon her intently. “A peacock is the essence of life and air itself. It is above material weapons.” He then gestured to her form. “Imagine you are weightless, and you shall see one of the peacock’s abilities.”

Marinette blew her bangs out of her face and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Like her transformation, Marinette found herself feeling weightless, the air currents breezing around her in a comforting manner. Chloe’s yelp roused her from her mind and Marinette found herself floating briefly through air before crashing to the floor ungracefully.

“Y-You were flying!” Chloe exclaimed. Gabriel gave her an exasperated look.

“Mademoiselle, if you would be so kind as to not interrupt so Marinette can actually get somewhere, that would be appreciated.” Chloe flinched at his harsh tone. Marinette dusted herself off.

“Okay… so I can fly. That’s good to know.” Marinette muttered.

“To use your power, you must use great concentration.” Gabriel advised her. “Your power is all around you. Your mind just needs to reach out to it and it will appear.”

“I’m sorry, Monsieur Agreste, but that sounds very cryptic.” Marinette spoke, not quite understanding his phrasing. Gabriel gave her a small smile and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It will make sense when you do it. However, please remember you only have five shots until the countdown starts and you have five minutes to make sure no one sees you transform back.”

“Okay…” Marinette blinked. Deciding that she wasn’t going to get anymore answers, she took a deep breath and imagined herself being weightless. Her body lifted clumsily off the ground and she levitated to the open window where Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Volpina fled out of. Perching on the windowsill, she gulped at the drop she would make if she couldn’t fly.

“One more thing, Marinette.” Gabriel called. Marinette’s inquisitive blue eyes turned to his icy ones. “Never, not even in dire circumstances, say the command _Eyes Open_. It is too dangerous.”

Marinette, despite being confused, nodded in agreement. Then she leaped out the window, pushing herself through the air like a new baby bird who was flying for the first time.

\-------------------

Ladybug and Chat pursued Volpina vigorously across rooftops. Chat Noir made a noise and skidded to a stop, with Ladybug following.

“Chat! What are you doing?” Ladybug exclaimed.

“Why are we chasing her so hard?” Chat asked his partner. “We know I’m right here.”

“Her powers are illusions, Chat.” Ladybug told him. “If we don’t pretend we don’t know that, it could give off suspicions that we know about our identities. We can’t let Hawkmoth know that we are aware of Volpina’s powers and our identities. We need to act clueless until we catch her off guard.” She readied her yo-yo, only to wince when she felt a sharp pain from her injured arm. Chat Noir gazed upon her worriedly.

“You all right, LB?” Chat Noir questioned. Ladybug nodded.

“Yeah, just a scratch. Come on, let’s put an end to this wannabe superhero.” Ladybug grinned at him. Chat smirked.

“Of course, LB.”

\---------------------------------------

Marinette skidded to a halt atop a building. Not being that great at flying yet, she had to take a break every couple of rooftops. She surveyed her surroundings, trying to locate where Volpina could have gone. Finding nothing, she glanced down at her hands, wondering what Gabriel meant about the Peacock not needing a material weapon.

“All around me? So am I like an airbender or something?” Marinette wondered out loud. Shoving her fist forward, nothing happened. “Well I guess that’s not it.” She tapped her foot impatiently. “What is something that is all around you besides air?”

She took a deep breath, holding up her hands and closing her eyes, her mind searching for something, anything, to visualize. She felt something stir within her, the air around her stifling, as she held her hands forward. Her thoughts raced to catch the feeling, to harness it, closer and closer—

A hot, crackling sensation sparked in her hands, and Marinette’s eyes snapped open to find glowing blue energy coming to life from her very fingertips. The energy sizzled and sparked, crackling like both lightening and a flame. However, Marinette gasped when she realized she wasn’t getting burned.

“Energy…” she whispered. “I can use energy?”

Nothing answered her except the cracking light in her hands. She tried to turn it off, but instead it ended up becoming bigger, flinging from her fingertips and destroying parts of the roof.

“Eep!” Marinette squeaked, hoping no one saw that. “Well I guess I have four more of those to go…”

A hiss of a wire being launched reached her ears and Marinette zeroed in on Volpina, Ladybug, and Chat Noir facing off at the Eiffel Tower. Her heart stopped when she saw Volpina dangling Adrien off the side of the tower with a malicious smirk on her face. Marinette snarled, energy summoning itself from her fingertips, burning with intensity, and she flew forward.

\-----------------------------------------

Chat Noir and Ladybug glared up at Volpina, who was holding the illusion of Adrien in a threatening manner.

“Give it up, Volpina!” Ladybug growled. “You can’t win against the two of us!”

“Ha! Some talk! But I have the upper hand here!” Volpina grinned, dangling the illusion. “Give me your Miraculous or else he dies!”

“Yeah right!” Chat snorted. “You love him, right? You wouldn’t drop him.” At least he hoped she really wouldn’t consider dropping the _real_ Adrien.

“Hmph. True.” Volpina admitted, but her smirk was back, even more insane than before, “But seeing the despair on Ladybug’s face at losing a civilian is more joyful to me!”

She loosened her grip on the illusion and Ladybug and Chat Noir readied their weapons to call her bluff. However, suddenly, a shock of energy blasted them. They coughed through the smoke.

“Is this Volpina?!” Ladybug coughed. Chat Noir couldn’t respond due to coughing up a storm.

“What the--?” Volpina yelled, the smoke making tears come to her eyes.

“How dare you!” the assailant bellowed. The smoke cleared, and three pairs of eyes widened at the newcomer.

 _‘Two akumas?!’_ Alya and Adrien thought in disbelief.

The new akuma appeared to be able to fly, as she floated in the air with some difficulty. Her eyes were bright and vicious, as if they were a tsunami coming to wipe them all out. Around her eyes was a teal masked and she appeared to be peacock themed.

“How could you think of risking a hostage?!” the newcomer screamed. Ladybug and Chat Noir’s eyes widened when they realized the girl was purposefully aiming her attack at them to get them to stop attacking Volpina. They glared at her, steeling themselves to face two foes at the same time. Volpina smirked, happy that she had back up—not that she needed it, thank you—and gave off a taunting smirk.

“Well well, let’s like luck is not on your side for once, Ladybug.” Volpina sneered. Yet, her laughing was cut short when the newcomer summoned another ball of energy, her eyes zeroing on her.

“And _you_ ,” the girl snarled furiously, “Release Adrien Agreste or else I will make sure this light is the last thing you see before falling to your death.”

Volpina actually paused at the threat. The butterfly mask appeared on her face, signaling that Hawkmoth was communicating with her. It was clear both of them were not used to death threats made against them. Nevertheless, Hawkmoth seemed to have given Volpina the encouragement she needed, and she grinned evilly.

“Sure. I’ll release him.” Volpina conceded. Her fingers let go of the illusion heartlessly, the illusion screaming as it fell to its demise. “There—I released him.”

“No!” the girl cried and flew down to reach it before it hit the ground. Ladybug and Chat Noir took this distraction to their advantage and shot their weapons at the cackling Volpina.

\-------------------------------------

 _Nononononono! Faster! I gotta go faster!_ Marinette pushed herself to reach Adrien with all her might. Tears rose to her eyes, heart pounding in her ears, and her hand was reached towards him like he was her salvation.

Adrien reached for her in desperation, and she sped up faster, hand stretched out—

She gave a strangled cry of agony as their fingers just brushed each other and he fell from her grasp, heading to the ground.

Marinette’s heart stopped.

Upon contact, Adrien dissipated into smoke, revealing he was not the real thing. She pulled herself up in the air to avoid meeting the same fate, and she panted heavily, tears running down her face. Her mind was at a standstill.

_‘What…?’_

That wasn’t Adrien…

Hands shaking, she brought them to cover her face as she cried at the trauma at having to witness one of her dear friends die. Her whole body convulsed with sobs as she felt her sanity slipping from her.

_‘But… it was so real! How wasn’t that Adrien?!’_

She had a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that it wasn’t Adrien that was dead, but just an illusion. She brought her hands away from her face, studying her hands to retain herself in the present. That wasn’t Adrien… Adrien wasn’t dead… he wasn’t dead.

“But where is he?” she whispered brokenly. Her shaking hands gave her no answer. She heard the combat happening above her, registering Ladybug and Chat Noir fighting Volpina’s illusions. Her eyes focused solely on Volpina. Her smirk. Her cold eyes.

Fury filled her.

 _‘She wanted me to see Adrien die.’_ Marinette hissed in her mind, her fist clenching so tight, her palms started bleeding. _‘She took Adrien, but that wasn’t the real one—she still has Adrien somewhere!’_

The fury boiled in her body like a volcano waiting to erupt. She narrowed her eyes into the most hateful glare she has ever given another human being.

 _‘Hawkmoth is willing to make people think that he’s killed their loved ones…’_ Energy crackled at her fingertips, the intensity of it like hot lava upon her skin, burning her fingers slightly, but she didn’t register the pain at all. All she could think about was all the times Hawkmoth has akumatized someone and put people in harm’s way just to get what he wanted. Volpina was a monster. _Hawkmoth_ was a monster.

_‘It’s time the monsters have something to be afraid of.’_

Energy pulsed through her body as Marinette ascended towards the top of the tower with speed. It appeared the three heard her coming as Marinette flew closer, shooting a blast at all of Volpina’s clones. The real Volpina yelled as she was immersed in smoke. She tried to use her flute to summon more illusions, but Marinette was too fast for her and grabbed her by her necklace, yanking it hard. Volpina gasped at the dark expression on Marinette’s face. Ladybug and Chat Noir gaped in astonishment at her abilities.

“Are you listening, Hawkmoth?!” Marinette hissed furiously, grasping the necklace so hard that it was choking the akumatized girl. “Ladybug and Chat Noir may be playing your games, but I will not! I will surpass your Miraculous with my own and I’m coming for you, you hear me?!”

Volpina gagged and kicked Marinette in the gut, causing the girl to let her go. Volpina gasped for air.

“Another Miraculous?!” Chat Noir exclaimed. Ladybug’s amber eyes were wide as she looked upon the self-proclaimed Miraculous holder.

“There are more Miraculous?! More Kwamis?!” Ladybug shouted, not believing what she was hearing. Alya had always thought that it was just the Ladybug, Black Cat, and Butterfly Miraculous that existed. There were more?! And how many were there?! Were they also being misused?!

“What’s a Kwami?” Volpina coughed as she held her throat. Marinette appeared behind her, holding her hand out in front of her.

“It means god.” Marinette hissed, her hand conjuring up pure, thunderous energy, “Now bow.”

Volpina didn’t have a chance to dodge as the energy hit her square in the face. Volpina screamed at the burning sensation against her skin. She cried in agony while her skin melted off her face, the layers bleeding out. Marinette didn’t give her a chance to recover as she punched Volpina straight in the face, causing the akuma to fall down on the tower. The assault didn’t stop there as Marinette kicked her into the air, and then held her hands together in the giant fist as she brought her hands down and slammed them on Volpina’s back making a sickening crack.

Ladybug and Chat Noir came out of their stupor as they realized this girl was going to kill the akuma. Ladybug shot her yo-yo out to incase Marinette’s body in midair while Chat Noir caught the unconscious akuma, tearing her necklace off and destroying it with his cataclysm. The akuma flew free and Ladybug cursed, having to release the girl to capture the akuma. She purified the akuma quickly, landing on the top of the tower where Chat Noir brought Lila and used Miraculous Ladybug to restore everything and heal both Alya and Lila’s wounds. What was once melted off was perfect again, and the girl remained unconscious.

Marinette began to fly off, intending to look for Adrien, when Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around her torso. Blue eyes surveyed the spotted hero peevishly.

“She’s healed now. We gotta find Adrien.” Marinette told them, but neither hero was having it.

“What was that?!” Alya screamed at the self-proclaimed hero. “You nearly killed her! What is wrong with you?!” Marinette’s eyes narrowed.

“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with _you_? You had no idea if that was the real Adrien or not! You could’ve killed an innocent person!” Marinette shouted, trying to free herself from Alya’s yo-yo, but the wire was latched tight. Marinette huffed angrily.

“But it was an illusion!” Chat Noir chimed in. “We knew it was an illusion the whole time! Adrien is safe!”

“Oh really?” Marinette snapped. “Then where is he, hm? If you two were aware that he was safe why didn’t you say so?!” That shut Chat up, for if he answered that, it would compromise his own identity. Alya spared her partner a glance before surveying the peacock hero again.

“We had no time.” Alya said, not letting this newcomer know anything. “Who are you?”

“No one of importance.” Marinette snipped back. Alya sighed in impatience, rubbing her temples.

“That isn’t an answer you should be giving right now. You claim you have a Miraculous—a big claim. Miraculous are given to those who will protect, not hurt. You proved that you seem to only know the latter.” Ladybug scolded, and Marinette felt the gravity of what she did hit her. Her shoulders slumped in defeat, eyes becoming clouded.

“I… you’re right. There was no excuse. I was not acting like a proper hero.” Marinette admitted guiltily. She felt the reality of what she nearly did sink in. Hawkmoth took control of his victims and they had no recollection or ability to control what they do while akumatized. She was going to kill a puppet, not the puppeteer. She clenched her teeth in frustration that even after all this time, Hawkmoth was just a phantom enemy who was able to escape all consequence.

“Who gave you your Miraculous?” Chat Noir asked Marinette, and she found it so weird that he was looking at her with caution and seriousness instead of his usual warm and inviting smile, but she knew that it came with the mask.

“Can’t say…” she finally confessed. The superhero duo furrowed their brows in confusion.

“Okay Miss Can’t Say, you’re not really helping your case here.” Chat crossed his arms as he observed her with suspicion. Marinette winced.

“I’m sorry but I really can’t say. It would give too much information away.” Marinette explained. “I didn’t get it from Hawkmoth if that’s what you’re wondering.” She added. Ladybug and Chat Noir glanced at each other unsure of how to proceed with this. Suddenly, Chat’s ring beeped, and he cursed.

“Go on, go recharge and then inform Monsieur Agreste Adrien is safe. I will take care of this.” Ladybug assured him.

“Yeah, but what about those energy blasts of hers? She could melt your face off if you’re not looking!” Chat protested.

“I only have one blast left.” Marinette admitted. “And anyway, I’m tied up by Ladybug’s unbreakable wire. Nothing could get me out of here unless she decides to do so.”

Chat Noir surveyed both girls warily. It wasn’t until Ladybug gave him a reassuring smile that he felt more at ease.

“Don’t worry. She’s right. She can’t get out unless I let her.”

He nodded his thanks and lept away from the tower, tail bellowing behind him. Ladybug turned her molten amber eyes to Marinette, squinting her eyes as she examined her. Marinette looked at her with a shy smile.

“Thank you for reminding me a hero’s main goal is to protect. I… when I saw Adrien fall and disappear into an illusion, I lost it.” Marinette told her, remorse lacing her tone. Ladybug eyed her in suspicion.

“How do you know about my yo-yo being unbreakable? And how do you know Adrien?” Ladybug demanded sternly. Marinette sweated as she thought about an explanation to give the other girl.

“Errr you could say I’ve been watching you for a while. As for the yo-yo, I think it’s kinda obvious how I know considering I used it before.” Marinette prayed her confession was the right decision. She needed to drive attention away from her being Marinette. If she could lead them off her trail into thinking she is someone else, then so be it.

 _‘Hopefully I am making the correct judgement call.’_ Marinette thought.

Ladybug—Alya’s—eyes widened in absolute shock as the realization clicked in her mind. The wire of the yo-yo loosened, and Marinette sighed in relief at being released from its hold. She rubbed her robes to rid of the wrinkles as Alya gathered her thoughts.

“You’re _her_?” Alya whispered. “ _You’re the previous Ladybug?!_ ”

“Eehhh… surprised?” Marinette replied sheepishly. Alya just gaped at her like she was a fish.

“I… you disappeared without a trace! Chat and I had no way to contact you! Tikki said you just gave up the earrings and left!” Alya told her. Marinette flinched at the mention of her abandonment of Tikki.

“Err yeah, I didn’t think I was right for the job…” Marinette responded. Alya raised an eyebrow.

“But you’re here again… with another Miraculous…”

“Circumstances have changed.” Marinette told her firmly. “I see now the city needs my help and I’m up for the task.” Alya felt insulted, and voiced her thoughts as so.

“The city is fine with Ladybug and Chat Noir!” Alya growled. “We are doing just fine!”

“I didn’t say you weren’t.” Marinette tried to placate her. “But there’s nothing wrong with there being more heroes to help out.”

“Ugh! You can’t just disappear and then show up with another Miraculous and say you’re here to help! Who are you really?” Alya exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, but I really can’t tell you.” Marinette repeated. Alya glared at her.

“But you know who I am! You gave me the earrings! It’s only fair you tell me who you really are if you want me to trust you!” Alya bit out. Marinette felt her heart seize itself in fear. Anxiety bubbled in her body at the very thought of revealing herself to Alya right now. She wasn’t ready.

“And I know I made the right choice!” Marinette insisted with conviction. Alya’s eyes widened at the certainty in the girl’s tone. “I… I wasn’t right for the Ladybug Miraculous. It needed a holder with confidence and a strong sense of justice. That wasn’t me…” Marinette looked down at her hands, clenching them, and rose her gaze to Alya’s again, “But it was definitely you. I know you don’t trust me, and that’s fine, but believe me when I say I didn’t make a mistake in picking you for Ladybug.”

The two heroes stared at each other, trying to read what the other was thinking. Ladybug was shocked, and touched, that someone believed in her so much, but that didn’t satisfy her yearning to know who it was under the mask that thought so highly of her. Meanwhile, Marinette wanted Alya to believe in her choice, and hoped she would accept that as an explanation for the time being. She didn’t know what she would do if Alya kept demanding answers towards her identity.

“I know I gave up the Ladybug Miraculous…” Marinette spoke finally. “I know that in your eyes that doesn’t make me fit to stand beside you as a hero, but I realized I can’t sit on the sidelines anymore and let innocent people get hurt. If I do that, that makes me just as guilty as Hawkmoth who’s misusing his Miraculous to hurt people. If I can just help you even a little in stopping him, then that would be enough.”

Ladybug observed the peacock themed hero silently, weighing her words in her mind. Finally, Ladybug sighed. She crossed her arms and gave her a serious look.

“Listen… I don’t trust you, but I’m willing to hear you out.” Marinette breathed a sigh in relief, but Ladybug continued, “ _But_ Chat and I both have to agree to let you on the team. It’s not just me. He’s my partner and you owe him an explanation even more so than me. You left him without answers and it’s caused a rift in our partnership. You’re responsible for putting this wedge between us, so I will allow you to try and fix it.”

Marinette nodded solemnly, showing she understood what Alya was demanding. Confronting Chat was definitely something that she couldn’t avoid, especially since she revealed she was the previous Ladybug Miraculous holder. Her heart hurt at the thought of Chat screaming at her and saying hurtful things to her for her absence, but Marinette knew it was necessary for them to accept her as part of the team. She would bear the guilt and the hurt for Chat, who always helped her in her times of need, and told herself she could do it.

To protect Adrien, and her loved ones, she would bear it.

“I understand.” Marinette told Ladybug.

“Good. Meet us when you’ve got your shit together.” Ladybug told her firmly. With that, the spotted hero flung her yo-yo out and swung off, leaving Marinette on the Eiffel Tower alone. A groan caught her attention and Marinette realized that Ladybug and Chat Noir, in their surprise at seeing her, had forgotten Lila. Sighing in guilt, Marinette picked the unconscious girl up and clumsily flew off towards the school. Making sure no one was around, she placed Lila gently on the courtyard ground, knowing a staff member would come across her while closing down the school for the night. Once that was finished, she retreated towards the Agreste mansion, accidentally landing in a bush. Blowing leaves out of her face, she released her transformation.

“Feathers fall.”

A blue light engulfed her and Duusu flew out of the pin, floating beside Marinette. The kwami had a shy smile on her face.

“How was it, Marinette?” she asked, nervous that Marinette didn’t like being the peacock after all. Marinette gave her an encouraging smile and stroked Duusu’s head.

“It was fine, Duusu. Just some stuff I need to get used to.”

Duusu’s smile grew at Marinette’s statement, glad that she hadn’t decided to give her up. The two then glanced at the Agreste mansion.

“What’s wrong, Marinette?” Duusu asked in concern. Marinette shook her head and gave her a tired smile.

“It’s nothing, Duusu, but perhaps it is time Monsieur Agreste and you give me answers, is it not?”

“I believe so, Marinette.” Duusu conceded. With that, Duusu hid in Marinette’s scarf and the midnight haired girl traveled to the front door. Natalie opened it, gazing down at Marinette in surprise.

“Adrien is not accepting visitors right now.”

“She’s here for me, Natalie.” Gabriel appeared, placating his assistant. Natalie’s eyes widened a fraction at Gabriel Agreste continuing business with a schoolgirl. However, she didn’t dare voice her inquiries out loud in fear of receiving his wraith. Stepping aside to let Marinette in, Marinette and Gabriel locked eyes, a silent message conveyed between them. Gabriel cleared his throat and gestured her to follow him.

“Natalie, I will be busy with Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng for the time being. Make sure Adrien is comfortable and doesn’t disturb us. He’s had a hectic day.” Gabriel instructed. Natalie nodded.

“Yes sir.” And with that, she was off to attend to Adrien. The two remaining occupants of the foyer journeyed to Gabriel’s office where it all began. Locking the office door tight, Gabriel gestured they sit down. He pushed a plate of fruit towards her.

“Here, Duusu must be hungry.” He said. As if summoned, Duusu flew out of Marinette’s scarf and began chomping down on some grapes. Marinette squirmed in her seat, memories of the first time she was in his office coming back to her. She tried to slow her anxious heart, but it seemed like it would continue to pound against her chest regardless of her consent or not.

“I understand you have many questions, Marinette.” Gabriel spoke evenly, observing her. Marinette took a deep breath to calm herself and nodded. Despite being in on Gabriel’s secret, he was still quite intimidating. “Please feel free to take some fruit for yourself. You must be hungry.”

“Thank you, Monsieur.” Marinette replied, shakily grabbing an orange and began peeling—anything to distract her while they talked. “And yes, I do have questions.”

“You decided to keep Duusu.” Gabriel said. It was not a question.

“Yes, I have.” Marinette affirmed.

“May I ask what made you change your mind?”

“You know why.” Marinette replied, cheeks aflame. “I couldn’t let Adrien be hurt.” She managed to put an orange slice in her mouth.

“I see.” Gabriel said, intertwining his fingers, “And what if I had told you that Adrien wasn’t in any danger at all?” Marinette choked on the orange slice. Duusu flew over and patted her shoulder as Marinette beat her chest a couple of times.

“I’m sorry... what?” Marinette coughed. Gabriel gave her a serious look.

“We both know that the Adrien Volpina took was an illusion, Marinette.” He said. Marinette gaped.

“You… how long did you know?!” Marinette exclaimed. Gabriel calmly studied her.

“Ever since the illusion was conjured.”

Marinette’s jaw dropped.

“Then—then why did you yell at Ladybug and Chat Noir to go get him back if you knew he wasn’t really there the whole time?!” Marinette yelled. Duusu offered her another slice and she declined—too confused by Gabriel Agreste.

“I couldn’t compromise my son’s identity. Especially with Mademoiselle Bourgeois around. Cosmos knows the girl has a mouth on her. The only reason she is quiet now is because I threatened to expose her father’s corrupt acts as Mayor if she didn’t keep silent about all of this.” Gabriel explained. Marinette gaped, cogs turning in her head.

“Your son’s… identity?”

“Yes. Which is why I knew it was an illusion. My son can’t make copies of himself to be in the same room as him after all. The Black Cat Miraculous doesn’t have that power.” Gabriel explained casually, as if he was talking about the weather. Marinette fell out of her chair in surprise. Duusu flew down to see if she was okay while Gabriel surveyed her dumbfounded expression from his desk. Meanwhile Marinette was gazing back at him, her eyes the size of dinner plates and her mouth opening and closing like she was a fish.

“B-B-B-Black Cat Miraculous?!” she shouted. Gabriel nodded.

“Yes, Marinette.”

“He-he has the Black Cat Miraculous?!”

“Yes. I’m honestly surprised you haven’t figured it out what with Chat Noir’s tendency to dote on you.” He stated. Marinette just gaped at him. Realization flooded her mind as she looked back on all the times Chat Noir was very familiar with her, all the convenient times he seemed to be around to address something with her when it came to Adrien and Gabriel. She remembered how he came to her balcony to thank her for saving Gabriel Agreste— _his father_ —and when he came to comfort her after the dinner at Adrien’s— _his_ —house.

“Holy shit…” Marinette murmured. She blinked a couple of times rapidly while her entire face became red as a tomato. It was _Adrien this whole freaking time_ bestowing her with affection and pet names and flirtations! “Y-you! Why _didn’t you say anything_?!” she yelled.

“If I did, you wouldn’t have ever accepted Duusu’s Miraculous. You needed the push to realize your potential.” Gabriel told her. Marinette glared.

“I thought Adrien _died_! I thought I didn’t save him in time! I watched an illusion of him fall to his death!” Marinette cried, tears coming to her eyes at the memory of the despair she felt when she thought she missed Adrien’s hand as he was falling. She gave a hiccup and wiped her tears with her arm while Duusu comforted her. Gabriel gave her a look of sympathy.

“And that is why I chose you to wield Duusu’s Miraculous. He could very well die in the future.” The older man said solemnly. Marinette glanced up to see the face of a broken man. “I’ve lost so much in my lifetime. I… I couldn’t bear it if I lost my son to the Miraculous too.”

“You… you weren’t the one to give him his Miraculous?” Marinette whispered, eyes widening at the reality that Alya and Adrien weren’t connected to the Peacock Miraculous at all. It wasn’t some big ploy to get her to take a Miraculous. Their friendship was genuine!

“No. If it were up to me, he wouldn’t even have one or ever know of them.” Gabriel said firmly. “Sadly, my old mentor has a habit of meddling.”

“Old mentor?”

“The Guardian of the Miraculous. He selects wielders for the Miraculous to use for good.”

“Hawkmoth doesn’t use his for good.” Marinette reminded him. Gabriel sighed.

“Sadly, not all Miraculous end up in righteous hands…” Gabriel admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Nooroo was lost to the Guardian years ago. It seems he was discovered by Hawkmoth and is used for his own devices.”

“So, this Guardian was the one who chose Adrien and Ladybug’s holder…” Marinette trailed off, recalling the hexagon box she found in her bedroom so long ago. It was nice to have answers to the persistent questions she’s had since that day.

“Correct. Wyazz, the Guardian’s kwami, must’ve felt Nooroo being activated negatively and it forced the Guardian to distribute the two most powerful Miraculous in order to combat him.” Gabriel explained. Duusu offered Marinette an apple slice and Marinette tentatively took it, patting Duusu’s head, who cooed softly.

“How many Miraculous are there?” she asked. “How are the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous the most powerful?”

“There are seven in total. The Turtle, the Fox, the Bee, the Butterfly, the Peacock, and you already know about the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous.” He answered. “Each represents an aspect of the cosmos they were created from: Creation, Destruction, Order, Chaos, Perseverance, Death, and Life. The Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous—creation and destruction—are the most powerful. Combining them would result the user to become a God able to warp our very reality.”

Marinette gasped, dropping the grape that Duusu gave her onto the floor. She stood up abruptly, slamming her hands on the desk.

“Then why give them to two separate people? They could easily stop Hawkmoth in his tracks!” the blonde-haired man shook his head.

“Sit down and calm yourself, Marinette. It’s not that simple. Yes, they can create a God, but if used together to warp reality to fit the user, something of equal value must be given in return to reset the balance. Ladybug and the Black Cat Miraculous are always at a balance. Everything must be maintained with balance. You cannot take too much without having to give something in return.” Gabriel advised. Marinette slowly took her seat, thinking hard.

“Then… if Adrien and Al—Ladybug have such strong Miraculous, why give me one? It sounds like they don’t need it.” All of this wasn’t making sense to Marinette. It didn’t seem necessary to give out more Miraculous when the two most powerful ones weren’t having issues.

“Regardless of everyone’s opinions of Ladybug and Chat Noir being invincible, that is not the case.” He told her. He picked up one of the grapes off the plate. “They wield the most powerful of the Miraculous, but they are facing off against a more experienced foe. They are young, naïve, and inexperienced compared to their enemy. They may have the advantage of power, but they lack severely in discipline. Hawkmoth has Nooroo to guide him. Adrien and Ladybug only have themselves and what their kwamis are permitted to tell them. This is not a game—something Ladybug and Chat Noir do not understand. They are strong on the outside, but if they present even the smallest weakness, Hawkmoth will crush them.” He ended his explanation by crushing the grape, the juices leaking out along his hand.

“Then why hasn’t the Guardian told them any of this? Better yet, why haven’t you?” Marinette countered back. Gabriel shook his head as he cleaned off his hand.

“The Guardian only shows himself when he feels they are ready to meet him.” Gabriel stated. “And me revealing what I know to Adrien will make him want to know things I am not inclined to share to my son.” He admitted, a sad glint appeared in his eyes, and the young girl wondered what this man had been through, and what he buried deep inside him.

“Then why not use the Peacock for yourself?” she finally asked. Her fingers gripped the fabric of her sweater tightly. “Why choose me instead of yourself?” heart pounding in her chest, Marinette waited with baited breath for the man’s answer.

“It’s quite simple—I don’t believe in the same convictions you do. I don’t believe good always triumphs over evil. I don’t believe in one’s will being the strongest against a foe—I am too jaded and broken to believe in those things anymore.” Gabriel confessed to her, his hand clutched at his heart, likely remembering what had made him become so fractured. “I needed a successor that would protect my son with the same ferocity I would myself. When you had stood against the akuma trying to kill me and proclaimed your devotion to my son the night of the dinner, I knew that you were the person I needed to be the next Peacock holder.”

Marinette stared at Gabriel across his desk. She stayed silent, processing what he had revealed to her.

“You really love your son, don’t you Monsieur Agreste?” she finally spoke, whispering the words, as if afraid speaking them too loud would shatter them. “People think you don’t care about Adrien, but in reality, he’s truly your greatest treasure.” Gabriel gave her a weary smile—his eyes showing her of the horrors he’s seen. Of the tragedies he’s witnessed.

“He’s the most precious thing in the world to me, Marinette.” He said strongly. “I… I lost my wife… he’s all I have left.” Duusu flew over to Gabriel and rubbed against his cheek, singing softly. Gabriel rubbed his hand under his eyes, to rid of tears that didn’t even get a chance to form. Marinette slowly got up from her seat to walk around the desk. Gabriel watched her curiously as she held out her hand.

“I’ll do it.” She said. “I will protect Adrien in your stead.”

Gabriel smirked, gasping her hand and giving her a firm handshake.

“Very well. I may not be able to put my faith in heroes, but I will put my faith in you, Marinette.”


	10. Rise From the Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Marinette discuss things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this is the last chapter I uploaded on fanfiction so now archive and fanfiction are now caught up. I really hope you guys are enjoying this story. Here is the next chapter. So yeah, a reviewer pointed out a loophole in how the miraculous work and I didn’t catch that, so I had to come up with something.   
> Issue: If you have to believe in good triumphs over evil, how can Hawkmoth use his Miraculous?   
> I would have to say in this issue is that Hawkmoth doesn’t see himself as being evil. In his warped mind, he thinks he is doing himself good to achieve his goal. He sees nothing wrong with what he’s doing so in his mind, his beliefs are that he can triumph over Ladybug and Chat Noir, the evil that is in his way. His goal, to him, is good, so therefore he is able to use his miraculous.   
> I know it’s a bad explanation, but in a way, it’s kind of a loop hole for the warped mind and shows that Hawkmoth isn’t all there.   
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Miraculous Ladybug.

\-------------------------------------

_“There is a girl_

_She is wise_  
and wary of flames  
but still, she knows  
she will survive the fire  
life scorches sometimes.

 _She has been a phoenix before_  
and every time   
she burns to ashes  
she knows  
exactly how to rise again.”

—Jeanette LeBlanc, “Girl on Fire”

\---------------------------

Marinette walked along the sidewalk away from the Agreste mansion, the sun descending in the horizon, painting the sky with different shades of orange and pink and purple. Duusu peaked out from Marinette’s scarf to gaze at her wielder.

“Something wrong, Marinette?” Duusu asked in concern. Marinette sighed, shaking her head, and stroking Duusu’s feathers.

“It’s just… there’s something I have to do before we go home, Duusu.” She admitted. Duusu tilted her head confused.

“What’s that?”

Marinette stopped walking, gazing up at the evening sky. The stars were beginning to sparkle, and the moon shined bright. Duusu observed her as the midnight haired girl was lost in her thoughts. Finally, Marinette sighed again, running a hand through her hair.

“There’s someone I need to see. Someone I need to apologize to…” that didn’t really provide Duusu with answers, but she waited patiently for Marinette to formulate her words. “You weren’t the first Miraculous I had, Duusu.” Marinette confessed softly. Duusu’s eyes widened.

“You mean…?”

“Yeah. And if we’re going to do this—being a hero I mean—I need to confront them first and tell them how sorry I am.” Marinette said, anxious about who exactly they were going to go meet. Duusu snuggled into Marinette in an act of comfort.

“You can do it, Marinette.” Duusu encouraged. “This just cements how Gabriel and I believe you are meant for a Miraculous even more.”

Marinette smiled nervously, and they journeyed to their destination. The sun was completely set by the time they reached Alya’s house, and Marinette could feel her palms sweat in anxiety. Duusu patted her face.

“It will be okay. I’m sure they’ll understand.” Duusu assured. Marinette bit her lip.

“I just hope Tikki will forgive me.” At her statement, Duusu’s eyes widened.

“You… you gave up the Ladybug Miraculous?” Duusu asked, shocked. She had never heard of Tikki being rejected. Usually out of all of them, Tikki had the most luck with willing users. Yet, she knew Tikki had to be ripped away from some users at times who have gotten greedy—Duusu shook her head at the memory of a particular one who Tikki had been taken away from—but for Tikki to be given up was very strange to the blue kwami. “I… the fact that you chose to stay with me and not Tikki… it’s unfathomable to me.”

“I’m sorry…” Marinette bowed her head in shame. Duusu nuzzled her cheek.

“I didn’t say I was mad, just surprised. I feel honored that you have chosen to stay by my side, Marinette. The fact that you were offered one of the most powerful Miraculous, but have chosen me instead of taking Tikki back, humbles me greatly. I’m actually scared I won’t be able to give you all that she could offer.” Duusu explained. Marinette shook her head.

“You’re wrong, Duusu. It’s me who doesn’t have much to offer you or Tikki. I made so many mistakes.” Marinette said with remorse. Duusu gave her a smile.

“Yes, we all make mistakes, Marinette. It is what makes us human. What matters is how you handle those mistakes and whether or not you make yourself into a better person because of them.”

“Thank you, Duusu… “ Marinette spoke sincerely, “I… you don’t know how much I needed to hear that…” Duusu smiled bashfully, glad she could be of use.

They stood out of sight from the windows and Duusu volunteered to sneak Tikki out. As her kwami was gone, Marinette busied herself with taking deep breaths to keep calm. She could do this. It was the right thing to do. Tikki deserved an apology.

“Marinette.” Tikki acknowledged dully, and Marinette felt like the ground was swept under her feet. Seeing her like this again, seeing her this close, it seemed like a dream. “So it’s true. You’ve come back.”

“Yes…” Marinette squared her shoulders. She told herself she could be brave. “I assume Alya told you the previous Ladybug holder is active again?”

“Yes. She did.” Tikki narrowed her eyes, and Marinette felt a storm brewing in them. “So… you have Duusu now.”

“Err yes. Tikki, I just wanted to say I’m sorry—”

“No.” Tikki interrupted her sternly, putting a paw up to stop her. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Tikki, wait—” Marinette started, and the storm in Tikki’s eyes was like a hurricane of emotions. Anger. Betrayal. Sorrow. Bitterness.

“No, Marinette!” Tikki yelled at her. “I believed in you! I held out that you were the chosen Ladybug, and instead of taking back the earrings like I thought, _you gave me away_!”

“Tikki, she knows what she did was wrong.” Duusu finally spoke, flying in front of Marinette as if to protect her from Tikki’s wraith. “She’s here to make amends.”

“Making amends? She gave me away and then she takes on another Miraculous acting like she didn’t leave a gaping hole behind and things can be okay now!” Tikki snarled. Marinette flinched, but Duusu stood her ground.

“It was an unexpected turn of events.” Duusu tried to soothe her sibling. “We had no idea Marinette was your previous holder when I chose her. She’s changing and trying to become a better person, Tikki.”

“But it doesn’t change the fact that she still chose you in the end!” Tikki cried, anger and sorrow shining in her teary eyes. “That you could convince her when I couldn’t! What did Duusu do differently, Marinette? How did she make you take on the mantle of hero when I gave you all the encouragement and belief? How did Duusu change your mind when I believed in you so much?” Marinette watched Tikki with wide eyes, remorse swirling in her body from how she had hurt Tikki so. It was silent for a few moments, and finally, Marinette spoke.

“I… it wasn’t Duusu who convinced me, Tikki. I needed to convince myself. And I’m still trying to convince myself, even right now as I face the consequences of my mistakes… It’s hard, Tikki, but I know it’s the right thing to do.” Marinette said firmly. She raised her gaze to lock with Tikki’s. “I know I messed up, Tikki. I know I abandoned you, and I know you have every right to be mad at me, but know that even now I will keep pushing forward to make amends—not because I think I deserve forgiveness, but because it’s the _right thing to do_.”

Tikki, Duusu, and Marinette observed each other after Marinette’s statement. Tikki studied her, eyes squinting, as she processed what Marinette confessed, before sighing.

“I can’t forgive you right now, Marinette.” Tikki finally said softly. “I don’t know if I will ever be able to forgive you… yet… yet I can’t help but feel happy that you are growing as a Miraculous holder, and I hate that I feel that way. I don’t want to feel affection for you, but I still do, and I hate it.” Tikki looked like she wanted to cry. “I won’t say anything bad about you to Alya, but I won’t help you try to win favor with her either. You’re on your own with gaining her and Chat Noir’s approval.”

“Thank you, Tikki…” Marinette replied with all her sincerity. She was truly grateful for Tikki’s words.

“Now go home, Marinette.” Tikki commanded weary. “I’m tired of this conversation.” With that, the kwami flew up to Alya’s window and disappeared. Marinette and Duusu watched the window for a few moments. Duusu stroke Marinette’s cheek with her paw.

“I’m sure she’ll come around eventually.” Duusu stated. Marinette shook her head.

“No, it’s all right that she was angry. I deserved it.” Marinette admitted. She continued to watch the window. “I’m glad Alya’s treating her well. Tikki deserves the best.” Duusu smiled, pride in her eyes.

“You are so kind, Marinette. Most would be upset about Tikki’s words, but you have listened and accepted her words, despite their scathing nature.” She praised. Marinette gave her a shaky smile.

“Thank you, but I… I still had hope…” Marinette sniffled, tears coming to her eyes. “I thought I could take all of her anger in stride, but it turns out it still hurts like a bitch.” Tears fell down her face and Marinette rushed to cover her eyes, laughing a little, “Guess I’m not as strong as you thought, huh?”. Duusu cooed gently and nuzzled her chick, singing tenderly.

“No, Marinette, you are far stronger than you give yourself credit for.” Duusu soothed. “Nothing has changed my opinion about you—in fact, from what I’ve seen, it has only enforced my beliefs about you even more.” Marinette sniffled and laughed.

“Let’s get home, shall we?” Marinette suggested, and Duusu agreed. “I hope you’ll like it there. It’s not like the Agreste mansion, but I promise to make you as comfortable as possible.” Duusu settled in her scarf, snuggling into her wielder.

“Sounds cozy. I like that. I’m tired of broken homes and big echoing halls.” Duusu confessed. Marinette chuckled, stroking the kwami’s head.

“We could make you your own birdhouse if you want something cozy. We could make a small dining area for your fruit and you a little bedroom to sleep. Oh, and I guess we could also make you your own bathing area for you to preen your feathers.” Duusu cooed in happiness at Marinette’s words.

“May I have my own mirror as well?”

“Of course, whatever you want Duusu. It’s your birdhouse, after all.” Marinette said as they walked towards the bakery. Duusu cooed.

“My own birdhouse…” she sighed contently. “Sounds like a dream.”

“Well, we’ll make sure it’s your ultimate dreamhouse then.” Marinette promised. Duusu chirped.

By now, the bakery was closed, so Marinette traveled to the back door where she could enter her house directly. After today, she looked forward to a nice, warm bath and then to fall asleep in her comfy bed. She walked through the living room, seeing that her parents must’ve retired to their room from a long day early, and quietly made her way through the house and entered her room.

Bluebell eyes locked with ocean blue.

“Well it’s about time you got here!” Chloe complained as she stood in the middle of Marinette’s room with her hands on her hips. “Your parents sent me up here hours ago after a measly homecooked meal! I had to pretend I was your friend from school and they let me right in. Honestly, it’s like they’re desperate for you to have friends over or something.”

Marinette stared at her from her position at the trap door. She looked Chloe up and down before quickly slamming the trap door, separating them. Chloe bristled.

“Get back here, Marinette! Don’t ignore me!”

\-----------------------------------

Marinette groaned on her chaise as Chloe paced back and forth in her room. Why— _why_ were her parents so chill with letting people into her room without asking her first?

“Hey, don’t act like you are the only one who had a tiring day.” Chloe snipped. “I had to watch some chick try to flirt with my Adrikins, then I find out mutant tiny animals with magical powers exist, and then _you_ drag me to Gabriel Agreste—who is _very_ scary mind you—and it turns out there’s some kind of superhero conspiracy Adrikins and his father could be a part of with Ladybug and Chat Noir, and _then I see Adrien taken away by some akuma_ and I’m left with his scary father who threatens me with my father’s position to keep my mouth shut about all of this, and then sends me on my way without so much as an explanation what is going on, and _then_ I’m stuck waiting here for you for hours while you’re off playing hero and worrying about what happened to Adrien!” Chloe throws her hands up in the air, exasperated with everyone. She narrowed her eyes at Marinette who was rolling her eyes at Chloe, pointing menacingly, “So you are _going_ to tell me what I want to know Marinette, or I’ll make your life so hellish at school you’ll be wishing it was like the old days where no one paid you any mind.”

Duusu and Marinette glanced at each other before giving Chloe their full attention. Marinette sighed, rubbing her temples.

“Fine. I’ll answer your questions, but let me relax first, okay? It’s been a long day, as you said.”

“What? No way, I’m getting the bath first!” Chloe demanded, stamping her foot. Marinette rolled her eyes and continued to grab her pajamas. She threw a pair of pink and black plaid pajama pants and a matching button up shirt to Chloe, who yelped at the assault, while Marinette got pink and white polka dot pajamas for herself. She gestured Chloe to follow her down the trap door. Chloe “hmphed” and they journeyed to the bathroom with Duusu in tow. Once inside, Marinette began stripping her clothes off. Chloe squeaked, and her entire face became red as a Christmas light.

“W-w-what are you doing?!” Chloe demanded. Marinette just continued to take off her clothes casually like stripping in front of her classmate wasn’t a big deal.

“What’s the big deal? We’re both girls. Let’s just take a bath together since we both wanna use it.” Marinette explained, like it was normal. Chloe’s ears turned red as her face as she tried to not look at certain places she knew she shouldn’t look.

“Take a—you wanna be sitting naked together in the same tub?!”

“Not really, but you’re acting like we’re going to be doing something inappropriate.” Marinette stated, too tired to actually laugh at how modest Chloe was being right now. She never would’ve thought what with the passes she makes at Adrien, but she figured people can still surprise you. “It’s just a bath. I promise nothing lewd will happen.” Marinette made a cross motion over her heart with her fingers. Chloe just continued to blush, muttering to herself, as she stripped her own clothes and tried not to look at her naked classmate. Meanwhile, Marinette turned on the hot water and waited for the tub to fill. Duusu cooed happily at the steam filling the room, glad to also be taking a relaxing bath. Once it was filled, the two girls and the kwami got in the bath and sighed happily, the hot water relieving all their aches and pains from the day.

Chloe hugged her knees to her chest, determined not to brush any of her person on Marinette, who seemed not to care they were both naked as she proceeded to lather soap on herself to clean herself of the grime from earlier. Chloe’s eyes scanned Marinette’s form as the raven-haired girl hummed happily, her blush deepening as she traced every one of Marinette’s curves. Marinette seemed to have noticed her attention as she glanced at Chloe curiously, an eyebrow raised in question. Chloe hurriedly turned away, trying to calm her beating heart. She wasn’t used to being close to another person like this. Not even her and Adrien took baths together when they were kids! It was weird.

“Do you need me to wash your back?” Marinette spoke, making Chloe jump.

“What? No! I don’t want you touching me at all!” Chloe protested. Marinette shrugged.

“Suit yourself.” She handed Chloe the soap while she resumed cleaning herself and Chloe hurriedly scrubbed herself, concentrating on her own body instead of focusing on her bath mate’s. Duusu chirped happily as Marinette gently scrubbed her feathers.

“Ahhh it’s been so long since I’ve been pampered like this.” Duusu sighed happily. Marinette smiled at her kwami and blew some soap bubbles in Duusu’s direction, who giggled at the ticklish feeling the bubbles gave her as they popped when coming into contact with her feathers.

“I guess Monsieur Agreste isn’t one for warm baths.” Marinette said. Duusu scoffed.

“The man’s too serious I’m afraid. As hard it is to believe, he was a lot different years ago.” Duusu frowned, lost in memories. “He was a lot kinder. More socially awkward, but always was willing to lend a hand. It’s a shame what time has done to him.”

“What happened to make him so cold like that?” Chloe spoke, curiosity overlapping her modesty. Duusu shook her head.

“I’m afraid that isn’t my story to tell.” Duusu dismissed the matter. Chloe frowned at being denied answers again, but Marinette gave her a look of warning, and Chloe backed off before she began a tirade.

“I think it’s time we get out of the tub before we catch a cold.” Marinette suggested and the three of them dried themselves off and proceeded to get dressed in their pjs. Heading up to Marinette’s room, Chloe took a seat on one of Marinette’s chairs and Marinette sat in her computer chair. Duusu settled herself on Marinette’s shoulder.

“Okay, I let you have your relaxation time—now start spilling the beans.” Chloe gestured with a wave of her hand. Marinette sighed and ran a hand through her midnight locks. She recalled all the information she learned from Monsieur Agreste, knowing that some of it was best not to be shared, and began telling Chloe an abridged version of what she could say.

“Adrien is safe. It turns out that Volpina had just an illusion. The real Adrien… he was safe somewhere. He was hiding.” Chloe nodded, accepting the explanation. Marinette continued, “Ladybug and Chat Noir… it was surreal fighting like them. I almost ended up blowing Volpina up on accident.”

“I saw some poor quality videos.” Chloe added. “You were blasting so much that you could’ve destroyed the Eiffel Tower. Way to go, Marinette.” Chloe sarcastically said. Marinette continued, ignoring the jab, lost in memories.

“I… she dropped him, Chloe. Volpina dropped the illusion of Adrien. I had to watch him falling to his death…” Marinette’s voice cracked. She blinked rapidly to rid herself of the oncoming tears. Chloe’s eyes widened—trying to imagine the scenario, finding her heart lurch at the image of her childhood friend falling to his death. “I lost it. All that was going through my mind was that Hawkmoth and all his akumas were monsters. I began fighting Volpina—her defeat the only thing in my mind… Ladybug and Chat Noir had to stop me from killing her.” Marinette whispered. Chloe stared, shocked. Her eyes then narrowed.

“For pulling that trick on you, I honestly can’t blame you.” Chloe admitted. Marinette’s mouth dropped. “I would’ve given her exactly what she deserved.” Marinette shook her head.

“No, Chloe! You know that isn’t right. I’m glad they stopped me. Volpina was under Hawkmoth’s control. I would’ve murdered an innocent civilian!” Marinette’s eyes welled with tears and Chloe saw how much the experience must have shaken the girl. A part of her felt pity for Marinette, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to show compassion for her classmate.

“Well you didn’t so it’s fine.” Chloe said dismissively. Marinette sniffled, and Chloe rolled her eyes. “What matters is you didn’t murder anyone—even if they deserve it.”

“I… you’re right.” Marinette conceded, wiping her tears. “Ladybug stayed and talked with me. I have to prove to her and Chat Noir I’m trustworthy. We didn’t really set a date or anything.”

“So that’s it then? You’re a hero now?” Chloe asked. Duusu and Marinette looked at each other before turning their gazes back to the blonde.

“Yes. I suppose so.” Marinette admitted, rubbing her neck nervously, wary of what to reveal to Chloe about her decision to become a hero and Gabriel Agreste’s involvement.

“Hmmm I suppose you did an okay job then. Try not to destroy Paris with those energy blasts, okay?” Chloe remarked, flicking some fuzz off her shoulder. Marinette sighed and left the chair to lay on her floor, gazing up at the ceiling. Duusu settled herself on Marinette’s chest, right where her heartbeat was, finding comfort in its beat. Chloe gazed down at them from Marinette’s other chair.

“So did Mr. Gloom and Doom give you any answers?” Chloe asked, intent on knowing what Gabriel Agreste’s part is. Marinette averted her gaze, catching Duusu’s magenta eyes. Duusu gave her a slight nod, indicating she could answer, but sparingly.

“He… he told me about the Peacock Miraculous.” Marinette gripped the pin to her, his voice flooding into her mind.

_“As I have said before, Marinette, that all Miraculous represent something to balance the universe. I have told you Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous, but the Peacock also represents something special.”_

_“And which would that be?” Marinette asked, blinking._

_“Peacocks are life, Marinette. They are the essence of every living thing in this universe. They are the very connection to the cosmos themselves. It is said a peacock’s tail has the ‘eyes’ of the stars. The peacock is resurrection, renewal, and everlasting life all in one.”_

_“So… those blasts of energy…” Marinette started. Gabriel nodded._

_“Yes, Marinette. You are taking energy from your surroundings and harnessing it to your will. Life is all around you, and peacocks have utilized its presence into a weapon to protect others for millennia. However, wielding energy from life itself is very taxing on the soul to use for long, which is why you only have five shots before your transformation is up.”_

_“Is there a limit with how much energy I can use in a shot? Can I use a larger amount of energy to boost the effects of the blast?” she asked. He fixed his glasses._

_“It doesn’t work like that, Marinette. The energy you are using is literally_ alive _. The bigger the blast, the harder it is to control the precision of the shot. Not to mention the more energy you shoot, the more taxing it will take on your body post transformation. It is best to stick to the amount of energy you have been using before.” Marinette winced, not liking the sound of possibly being incapacitated. She pressed on._

_“Before you said not to say the phrase ‘Eyes Open’ during the transformation. Why is that…?”_

_Gabriel took on a dark look on his face, frustration clear on his expression, but not directed at her._

_“That phrase… now understand what I’m about to tell you Marinette is very serious. You must listen to me, do you understand?” Marinette nodded, nervous at what he was going to reveal. He cleared his throat. “As I said before, the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous combined can result in the creation of a God capable of warping reality. Even with the peacock’s true form, it will never be as strong as their combined Miraculous.”_

_“Peacock’s true form…?”_

_“Yes. Remember how I explained peacocks are everlasting life? By saying that phrase, you would be empowered by the very cosmos themselves, giving you the invincibility and power of a demigod at your fingertips. You would no longer be a human in this form. You will become the vessel for all life from past great Miraculous holders in your body. Their essence will combine with your own to give you unlimited energy without taking its toll on your body post transformation.” Marinette’s eyes widened. She stood up hurriedly, causing Duusu and Gabriel to jump._

_“Then why not use it?! If it’s that great, then why would you forbid me from using it?” Marinette gestured. Duusu’s shoulders slumped and Gabriel gave Marinette a stern look._

_“I believe I told you to listen to me, did I not?” Gabriel remarked with a steel tone. Marinette winced and sat back down. “Yes, the peacocks true form is grand, but the cost if you fail to achieve it is too great.”_

_“Cost?” Marinette parroted. Gabriel nodded._

_“If you say the phrase ‘Eyes Open’ you will be opening your soul to the cosmos where all the past great Miraculous holders’ souls are, Marinette. You will be offering yourself up for judgement on the highest scale. The very Gods themselves will judge you whether or not you are worthy of wielding their power to defend the world.”_

_“And if they don’t find me worthy…?” Marinette gulped. Gabriel eyes were like ice, staring straight into her soul._

_“Your soul, if judged unworthy before the previous Miraculous holders, will be ripped from your body and your body will be a husk while your soul is torn apart, ceasing to exist altogether.” Gabriel solemnly answered. Marinette felt her body go cold._

_“But… it’s happened before, right? Someone has been able to achieve the Peacock’s true form?” she nervously asked._

_“I’ve only seen one holder try to attempt to become the Peacock’s true form.” Gabriel’s expression was dark._

_“What… what happened?”_

_“It was luckily interrupted from fully losing her soul and she was knocked unconscious. It was the scariest moment of my life.”_

_Marinette’s heart pounded, a shiver crawling down her spine from his grave tone. He observed her reaction, watching the severity of the consequences of her powers sink in, and continued._

_“That is why you cannot use that power, Marinette. No matter what, you must promise me you will not try to achieve the Peacock’s true form.”_

_Blue met blue, the tension electrifying the room, and Marinette swallowed thickly, nodding._

_“I promise.”_

“Wait so you’re telling me your Miraculous thingy has the ability to make you invincible, but you literally can’t use it?” Chloe squawked. Marinette sighed, nodding.

“It’s too dangerous. He said my soul would be ripped apart, ceasing to exist altogether if I wasn’t judged worthy by previous Miraculous holders.” Marinette replied. Chloe scoffed and crossed her arms.

“What’s the point in even giving you that option then if you can’t use it?” Chloe complained. “It’s like waving a hundred-dollar euro in front of you.”

“I’m sure when the Miraculous were created, there was a reason.” Marinette conveyed, but found herself internally agreeing with Chloe. “It can’t be helped. What’s important is that I avoid using that power.”

“So, what’s your superhero name then?” Chloe asked, changing the subject. “Please tell me you’re not going to call yourself Peacock.” She grimaced. Marinette shrugged.

“I haven’t really thought about it.” The midnight haired girl confessed. Chloe huffed.

“That’s the most important part! You want your name to inspire and bring people hope and all that dumb stuff, right?”

“I guess… I wouldn’t really know what would be a good name for myself though…”

“Whatever. It’s late, and I need my beauty sleep. I’ll be taking your bed tonight.” Chloe commanded. Marinette puffed her cheeks.

“Chloe, I’m not being kicked out of my own bed. It’s big enough for us to share.”

“Share with a commoner? I think not.” Chloe retorted, waving her off, but Marinette wouldn’t budge, rising from her spot on the floor and began climbing the ladder.

“Too bad. I’m tired. You invaded my house. Either sleep next to me or sleep on the chaise.” Marinette supplied. Chloe grumbled as she followed Marinette up the ladder to her bed begrudgingly. Duusu settled on Marinette’s pillow while Chloe put a body pillow in between them.

“I don’t want you snuggling up against me during the night, got that?” she warned, getting comfortable on her side. Marinette shook her head and settled herself on her own side.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Marinette flicked off the lights and made herself comfortable. It was silent for a few moments before Chloe spoke.

“Your name.”

“Huh?” Marinette questioned tiredly, furrowing her brow. “I doubt running around with my real name would be a good idea, Chloe.”

“Not your name name! I mean it’s meaning!” Chloe bristled. “Your name means ‘One who rises’, right? So why not Phoenix?”

“Phoenix…” Marinette whispered the name, caressing the peacock pin reverently. It felt like something had clicked into place and she was surrounded by warmth. A smile spread across her features. “I like that.”

“Good, now shut up. I’m going to bed.” 

\------------------------

“Psst, Princess.” A voice whispered. Marinette groaned and rolled over, covering herself with her comforter to block out the noise. The offending noise seemed to have other ideas and began lightly poking her, making Marinette grumble. She threw off the blanket and came face to face with Chat Noir’s luminescent green eyes. She squeaked, the information that Gabriel revealed before hitting her head on, and a violent blush rose upon her cheeks.

Adrien was here. He was in her room. At night. Marinette’s heart pounded like crazy.

Chat Noir placed a finger on his lips to signal silence and gave her a sheepish smile that she was able to make out in the dark. She looked towards her clock and found it to be past midnight. What was he doing here? Couldn’t he ask her as himself tomorrow? Why did he need to come here as Chat?

Chloe was snoring ungracefully beside her, clearly still asleep. Chat and Marinette gave her a wary glance before gazing at each other and silently communicated that they needed to somewhere else to converse. Noticing that Chloe had trapped her in a spooning position, no body pillow to be found, Marinette rolled her eyes, gently detaching herself from Chloe—and checking to see if Duusu was hidden, which luckily, she was as she caught magenta eyes peering from her hiding place—and allowed Chat to guide her to her trap door where they stepped into the cold night air. Marinette shivered, the cold air contacting with her skin and Chat rubbed her arms, trying to warm her. However, Marinette backed up from his hold, a red blush glowing against her cheeks, reminding herself who was under the mask. Chat coughed and fidgeted nervously.

“I’m sorry for waking you, Princess.” He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. “I just… I was really worried about you and I wanted to check up on you, but I wasn’t able to sneak away until now. My father’s… really overprotective.” He finished, aware that he couldn’t reveal too much. Unbeknownst to him, Marinette knew exactly what he was talking about.

 _‘He’s lucky Monsieur Agreste hasn’t locked him in his room with all the danger he puts himself in.’_ Marinette thought. Then again, Gabriel appointed her as Adrien’s superhero body guard, so she supposed he was still strict in protecting Adrien. _‘If only Adrien knew…’_

“That’s… perfectly okay, Chat. Thank you for even checking up on me. I really appreciate it.” Marinette told him sincerely, making Chat grin happily at pleasing her. Then his expression turned solemn, and Marinette raised her eyebrow in curiosity.

“Princess… have you ever lost someone and then all of a sudden they come back to you?” he whispered, as if afraid to speak his words aloud. Marinette’s heart pounded.

_‘Oh no, please don’t tell me…’_

“What do you mean, Chat?” she inquired, her heartbeat loud in her ears. Chat pivoted to stare at her, and Marinette felt he could see all of her dirty little secrets. She wanted to hide.

“I… The Ladybug I am with now wasn’t always Ladybug. There was another before her. She was only with me for a little, but then she disappeared without a trace, and the current Ladybug took her spot.”

 _‘This cannot be happening…’_ Marinette squirmed. Chat Noir didn’t seem to notice and continued.

“I never thought she’d come back. That I would ever see her again. I feel _alive_. Like everything’s right in the world, but also, I feel like my soul is shattering from all the agony I felt at her disappearing. I want to know what is going through her mind. I want to know why she left, but I know she won’t tell me anything I want to know. It’s frustrating. I want to see her, but I’m also afraid to. I don’t know what to do…” his voice cracked, signaling how much all of the turmoil of the previous Ladybug returning was causing him. Marinette felt her heart broke. She had no idea her absence and reappearance caused Adrien this much pain. To know that it was sweet, kind Adrien who she had deserted because of her own fears, it didn’t settle well in her stomach. The person that caused her to become a hero again was the one person she hurt the most.

Chat jumped when he felt arms encircle him from behind. Marinette’s warmth seeped into him, calming him, and he purred happily, turning around and embracing her, pulling her close to him. Marinette blushed hotly at hearing his purring and feeling his body vibrate, engulfing her with soothing contentment. Chat nuzzled his face into her neck, taking in her scent of baking spices. His purring became louder as Marinette’s dainty hands caressed his back.

“I’m sorry.” Marinette whispered, tears running down her face. “I’m so sorry.” Chat pushed back, still in their embrace, to stare into her eyes. He brought up a gloved hand to wipe her tears, wishing that he wasn’t transformed so he could feel her skin.

“Princess, why are you crying?” he asked her, scared if he spoke loud, he would shatter the moment between them.

“I… you’re in so much pain. I wish I could take it all away.” Marinette told him, not daring to reveal herself. She couldn’t. Not now. Not when he was so capable of being shattered. She couldn’t bring herself to give the final blow. She resolved that she would do her best to make it up to Adrien, as both Marinette and as Phoenix. He had done so much for her—to turn him away now would be awful of her.

Chat laughed, blinking away his own tears, but a couple escaped to run down his face. He pulled her closer, quietly chuckling.

“You did more than you realize, Marinette.” He soothed, stroking her hair.

In his arms, Marinette vowed she would never leave him again.


End file.
